Series: The Simpsons
Season: 3
Episode: 7
We return to the Treehouse of Horror for the second time this year, but the question is this: Is it better than last time? Well. For me, not so much. To backtrack a bit, I did enjoy this episode but not quite as much as the first installment of the Treehouse series. So lets take a look at the episode itself and see why.
The beginning starts off the same way as the first, where Marge pleads with the audience to send the kids to bed early, but gives up and says "Well you didn't listen last time." This is a rather fun opening, it adds a bit of continuity to the series, and references back to the original opening's dialogue. From here we move into the wraparound story that fills in between each segment. This time around, Lisa, Bart, and Homer all eat far too much candy before bed, and one after another have bad dreams. Again, this is actually a rather fun way to fill in the time between segments without having to rehash the treehouse filler from before.
Lisa's dream follows the family as Homer buys an old monkey's paw which is said to grant wishes, but at a price of twisting them around. Ignoring the warning, the family begins to use the paw for wishes. Maggie makes the first one, which oddly gets overlooked for the twist. Perhaps she's smart when it comes to wish making? Following Maggie's wish, Bart decides to wish for the family to be rich and famous. With the new found wealth, comes the price of having everyone annoyed with the family and their antics. Lisa then wishes for world peace, which backfires as the world becomes enslaved by Kang and Kodos. Annoyed with all the twisted wishes, Homer decides to use his last wish for a sandwich and winds up getting rather dry turkey. The segment ends with Kang and Kodos suggesting that humanity might doom themselves with war.
Following her dream, Bart's dream revolves around himself as he has the power to not only read minds, but to also change people and animals into whatever he wants. This puts the entire town on edge as they have to constantly think happy thoughts and cater to his whims. When Homer goes too far, Bart changes his father into a Homer-in-the-box. Through the rest of the segment, Marge turns to Dr. Marvin Monroe for help, who in turn manages to get Bart and Homer to bond, eventually saying "I love you" which makes Bart wake up screaming.
Our final dream is Homer's, as he drifts off thinking about work in the morning. Unhappy with his lazy workers, Mr. Burns fires Homer for sleeping on the job, forcing the man to find a new job as the local gravedigger. When Homer falls asleep at that job as well, Mr. Burns kidnaps Homer, thinking him to be dead. With Homer in his secret lab, Mr. Burns reveals that he's going to use Homer's brain to power a giant robot worker which will change the labor industry. This backfires, however, when the robot ends up as lazy as Homer was.
While the entire episode as a sum is rather funny, each of the dream sequences doesn't really stand out to me. All three seemed to really lack a larger horror aspect like the first installment, though these segments do prey on the fears of each family member. In a respect, the segments do have that element of horror to them but the concept doesn't feel fully realized in the end.
3/4
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Halloween
Series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season: 2
Episode: 6
So it begins. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. One episode down, quite a few to go. Easily one of my favorite live action shows growing up, I used to watch Buffy religiously. If it was on, or new, I was generally watching it, especially in the later seasons. Tonight's episode however, is one of the earlier ones that I missed, until the wonders of dvd made it available to me.
Halloween, the episode, almost feels a bit odd or out of place given how the entire show revolves around vampires, demons, werewolves, witches and the like. Despite this possible hamper, the show manages to make this episode work really well in how they approached it. Our villain makes his first of several appearances through the shows run, and with quite a bang.
Taking place on Halloween night itself, the episode follows Buffy and the early version of the Scooby gang as they are forced to 'volunteer' as supervisors to groups of kids who are trick or treating. What they don't realize, however, is that their costumes were bought at a store run by a warlock named Ethan Rayne. This man, who plays a role in Giles' past, decides to cause some chaos by turning everyone who bought his costumes into the creature they were wearing. This makes for some rather fun results as Willow turns into a ghost, Xander into a soldier, and Buffy into a simpering noble woman. It's rather fun to see the roles reversed as Buffy is kept rather helpless for once, while Xander finally gets a chance to shine as a hero. Or at least until Angel arrives and lends a hand with things.
There's not really a whole lot that I can think of to note as far as continuity goes. Xander's soldier persona will come in handy down the road for future seasons, and Ethan Rayne will also be back again. Aside from this, the episode largely nudges forward other story lines that start evolving in this season.
While this episode is a lot of fun, and quite funny at times, I do recall enjoying the later Halloween themed episodes a fair bit more. All in all, that doesn't change how enjoyable this one is, on its own.
3 1/2 /5
Season: 2
Episode: 6
So it begins. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. One episode down, quite a few to go. Easily one of my favorite live action shows growing up, I used to watch Buffy religiously. If it was on, or new, I was generally watching it, especially in the later seasons. Tonight's episode however, is one of the earlier ones that I missed, until the wonders of dvd made it available to me.
Halloween, the episode, almost feels a bit odd or out of place given how the entire show revolves around vampires, demons, werewolves, witches and the like. Despite this possible hamper, the show manages to make this episode work really well in how they approached it. Our villain makes his first of several appearances through the shows run, and with quite a bang.
Taking place on Halloween night itself, the episode follows Buffy and the early version of the Scooby gang as they are forced to 'volunteer' as supervisors to groups of kids who are trick or treating. What they don't realize, however, is that their costumes were bought at a store run by a warlock named Ethan Rayne. This man, who plays a role in Giles' past, decides to cause some chaos by turning everyone who bought his costumes into the creature they were wearing. This makes for some rather fun results as Willow turns into a ghost, Xander into a soldier, and Buffy into a simpering noble woman. It's rather fun to see the roles reversed as Buffy is kept rather helpless for once, while Xander finally gets a chance to shine as a hero. Or at least until Angel arrives and lends a hand with things.
There's not really a whole lot that I can think of to note as far as continuity goes. Xander's soldier persona will come in handy down the road for future seasons, and Ethan Rayne will also be back again. Aside from this, the episode largely nudges forward other story lines that start evolving in this season.
While this episode is a lot of fun, and quite funny at times, I do recall enjoying the later Halloween themed episodes a fair bit more. All in all, that doesn't change how enjoyable this one is, on its own.
3 1/2 /5
Halloween Tree
Oh Halloween Tree. How I have missed you. This rather obscure Halloween film, created and narrated by Ray Bradbury, is a woefully underused and less recognized film in this current age of new and flashy Halloween films/shorts based off bigger name characters from companies such as Dreamworks.
With this being said, Halloween Tree is a somewhat dark tale about a group of four friends who have to try and save their friend, Pip, from the hook nosed Mr. Moundshroud, while also learning about the spirit of the Holiday and what their costumes mean. While Halloween Tree is a bit dark at times, it's also surprisingly educational in the degree that each of the children learn about their costume choice. We travel with the characters to Egypt and learn about mummies, get a lesson in witches who lived in England, learn of monstrous gargoyles who decorate Notre Dame, and finally learn of skeletons and how we can overcome our fear of Death.
A quick bit on the animation. Initially I thought "Well, it's fairly average for the time it was made." and, yet, now that I think about it more, I actually really enjoy the films animation and how it looks. There's almost a storybook feel to it, which might be helped by the fact that this was a version of the film that wasn't made pristine clear for dvd/blu. The Halloween tree itself, with all of it's jack-o-lanterns is really great to look at, and one of my favorite pieces of animation from the film, as well my favorite background. Another great bit to note is the kite made of circus posters that seem to come to life.
The use of Ray Bradbury narrating is kept sprinkled all through the film and at no point is he overused. Our opening starts off with some great prose by our narrator, and from here the film only gets better. Despite shedding a lot of light on various customs from around the world, regarding Halloween, it never comes across as a boring history lesson. The entertainment stays consistent which is what serves the story so well. I was surprised by the ending, having forgotten it, and it was a tad bittersweet.
If you ever get the chance, I would happily suggest that everyone checks out this gem of a film. While it may not be five star material, it is still a lot of fun and well worth a watch or two, and is certainly going to be a staple of my Halloween viewing for years to come.
4/5
With this being said, Halloween Tree is a somewhat dark tale about a group of four friends who have to try and save their friend, Pip, from the hook nosed Mr. Moundshroud, while also learning about the spirit of the Holiday and what their costumes mean. While Halloween Tree is a bit dark at times, it's also surprisingly educational in the degree that each of the children learn about their costume choice. We travel with the characters to Egypt and learn about mummies, get a lesson in witches who lived in England, learn of monstrous gargoyles who decorate Notre Dame, and finally learn of skeletons and how we can overcome our fear of Death.
A quick bit on the animation. Initially I thought "Well, it's fairly average for the time it was made." and, yet, now that I think about it more, I actually really enjoy the films animation and how it looks. There's almost a storybook feel to it, which might be helped by the fact that this was a version of the film that wasn't made pristine clear for dvd/blu. The Halloween tree itself, with all of it's jack-o-lanterns is really great to look at, and one of my favorite pieces of animation from the film, as well my favorite background. Another great bit to note is the kite made of circus posters that seem to come to life.
The use of Ray Bradbury narrating is kept sprinkled all through the film and at no point is he overused. Our opening starts off with some great prose by our narrator, and from here the film only gets better. Despite shedding a lot of light on various customs from around the world, regarding Halloween, it never comes across as a boring history lesson. The entertainment stays consistent which is what serves the story so well. I was surprised by the ending, having forgotten it, and it was a tad bittersweet.
If you ever get the chance, I would happily suggest that everyone checks out this gem of a film. While it may not be five star material, it is still a lot of fun and well worth a watch or two, and is certainly going to be a staple of my Halloween viewing for years to come.
4/5
Halloweentown
Halloweentown! One of the movies I remember growing up with as a kid, this film has a certain nostalgic value to it. This film is also one of Disney's earliest DCOM's or "Disney Channel Original Movie" which later spawned a multitude of films that only went down in quality over the years, even by Disney Channel standards.
The movie centers around Marnie Cromwell, who has a love for Halloween and all the weird things that come with it. However, her mother seems to have the opposite mindset in regards to it. After a visit from her eccentric grandmother, Aggie, Marnie and her siblings follow her home to Halloweentown after they find out that Marnie is a witch.
However, not all is alright in Halloweentown as an evil force is changing the citizens. When Aggie and their mother (who followed close behind) are captured, the kids have to band together to set things right and use a powerful spell to banish the dark force. Along with some help from new friends, as well their mother and grandmother.
The story itself is pretty basic, and a lot of fluffy fun. I certainly remember enjoying it a lot more when I could only see it once a year, and back when it was newer and therefore more exciting at a younger age. The film hasn't really aged well, much like most t.v shows of the 80's and 90's which only become more corny the older we get. With that being said, nostalgia is a powerful force and only helps reinforce the fond memories of this film.
While it is quite enjoyable as a whole, some of the digital effects and dialogue is rather poor. The acting is quite tolerable, save for Debbie Reynolds as Aggie Cromwell who is extremely fun and a highlight of the film. The character of Marnie certainly hits quite a few annoying notes, especially in the beginning of the film. Thankfully, in the latter half of the film she does start to grow out of that, and by the second film is a much stronger character with less annoyances. While it may not be an excellent film, it is definitely a staple in my viewing around Halloween and can be quite charming.
3/5
The movie centers around Marnie Cromwell, who has a love for Halloween and all the weird things that come with it. However, her mother seems to have the opposite mindset in regards to it. After a visit from her eccentric grandmother, Aggie, Marnie and her siblings follow her home to Halloweentown after they find out that Marnie is a witch.
However, not all is alright in Halloweentown as an evil force is changing the citizens. When Aggie and their mother (who followed close behind) are captured, the kids have to band together to set things right and use a powerful spell to banish the dark force. Along with some help from new friends, as well their mother and grandmother.
The story itself is pretty basic, and a lot of fluffy fun. I certainly remember enjoying it a lot more when I could only see it once a year, and back when it was newer and therefore more exciting at a younger age. The film hasn't really aged well, much like most t.v shows of the 80's and 90's which only become more corny the older we get. With that being said, nostalgia is a powerful force and only helps reinforce the fond memories of this film.
While it is quite enjoyable as a whole, some of the digital effects and dialogue is rather poor. The acting is quite tolerable, save for Debbie Reynolds as Aggie Cromwell who is extremely fun and a highlight of the film. The character of Marnie certainly hits quite a few annoying notes, especially in the beginning of the film. Thankfully, in the latter half of the film she does start to grow out of that, and by the second film is a much stronger character with less annoyances. While it may not be an excellent film, it is definitely a staple in my viewing around Halloween and can be quite charming.
3/5
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Daffy Duck's Quackbusters
This will be the first of at least 3 reviews going up today, so that I can play 'catch up.'
First up we have 'Daffy Duck's Quackbusters' which is certainly an interesting addition to the Looney Tunes lineup of films. Released in 1988, Quackbusters has two short films that are exclusive to this release while a number of older shorts are used for various segments. This causes Quackbusters to feel rather episodic, even with the wraparounds of each short providing a single story.
The first of the segments occurs right at the start of the film as we watch 'Night of the Living Duck,' which is also the first of the two exclusive shorts to Quackbusters. The entire short is probably my favorite of Daffy's shorts, which is surprising given my usual dislike of the Duck. I highly suspect the main reason I enjoy this short is largely because Daffy is entertaining a whole crowd of classic movie monsters.
After this segment, we move into the main story, revolving around Daffy earning the inheritance of a rich businessman and having to spend it on a service to the people. Upon realizing that the deceased benefactor is making his newly found wealth vanish, Daffy decides to rid the world of ghosts and other monsters. To do this, he enlists some hired 'help' in the form of Porky Pig, Sylvester, and Bugs Bunny. Not wanting to do any work at first, Daffy sends the three on a series of jobs around the world. Along the way, Porky and Sylvester encounter some killer mice, while Bugs Bunny meets up with Count Blood Count, and Hugo the Abominable Snowman. Daffy himself finally gets involved and joins Bugs to square off against Hugo, and also manages to successfully exorcise some ghosts from a possessed lady duck. This latter segment is the second exclusive short to the film, and also rather hilarious. The film finally ends when a series of miniature elephant sightings prompts Daffy to go on air to debunk the silly notion, only to have it blow up in his face and puts him out of business.
Quackbusters is.... certainly odd. The chosen shorts are all a lot of fun on their own, however the filler that wraps around them can vary from entertaining to feeling a bit subpar in comparison. The animation is fairly consistent, and never seems to be off at all. The main critique I have, aside from the mediocre filler, is that at various points in the film, Porky Pig sounds a lot like Bugs Bunny. Part of this is because Mel Blanc lent his voice to several characters. Normally each character sounds rather different, but not this time around.
In the end, Quackbusters is certainly a fun way to watch a few good shorts and is definitely worth watching for the two exclusive shorts as it is.
Favorite Quote:
Possessed Duck-Woman: Mary had a little lamb...
[turns into a demon]
Possessed Duck-Woman: But I *ate* it!
3 1/2 / 5
First up we have 'Daffy Duck's Quackbusters' which is certainly an interesting addition to the Looney Tunes lineup of films. Released in 1988, Quackbusters has two short films that are exclusive to this release while a number of older shorts are used for various segments. This causes Quackbusters to feel rather episodic, even with the wraparounds of each short providing a single story.
The first of the segments occurs right at the start of the film as we watch 'Night of the Living Duck,' which is also the first of the two exclusive shorts to Quackbusters. The entire short is probably my favorite of Daffy's shorts, which is surprising given my usual dislike of the Duck. I highly suspect the main reason I enjoy this short is largely because Daffy is entertaining a whole crowd of classic movie monsters.
After this segment, we move into the main story, revolving around Daffy earning the inheritance of a rich businessman and having to spend it on a service to the people. Upon realizing that the deceased benefactor is making his newly found wealth vanish, Daffy decides to rid the world of ghosts and other monsters. To do this, he enlists some hired 'help' in the form of Porky Pig, Sylvester, and Bugs Bunny. Not wanting to do any work at first, Daffy sends the three on a series of jobs around the world. Along the way, Porky and Sylvester encounter some killer mice, while Bugs Bunny meets up with Count Blood Count, and Hugo the Abominable Snowman. Daffy himself finally gets involved and joins Bugs to square off against Hugo, and also manages to successfully exorcise some ghosts from a possessed lady duck. This latter segment is the second exclusive short to the film, and also rather hilarious. The film finally ends when a series of miniature elephant sightings prompts Daffy to go on air to debunk the silly notion, only to have it blow up in his face and puts him out of business.
Quackbusters is.... certainly odd. The chosen shorts are all a lot of fun on their own, however the filler that wraps around them can vary from entertaining to feeling a bit subpar in comparison. The animation is fairly consistent, and never seems to be off at all. The main critique I have, aside from the mediocre filler, is that at various points in the film, Porky Pig sounds a lot like Bugs Bunny. Part of this is because Mel Blanc lent his voice to several characters. Normally each character sounds rather different, but not this time around.
In the end, Quackbusters is certainly a fun way to watch a few good shorts and is definitely worth watching for the two exclusive shorts as it is.
Favorite Quote:
Possessed Duck-Woman: Mary had a little lamb...
[turns into a demon]
Possessed Duck-Woman: But I *ate* it!
3 1/2 / 5
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
When Halloween Was Forever
Series: The Real Ghostbusters
Season: 1
Episode: 8
Once again, it's that time of year in which I get to watch 'When Halloween was Forever' during the proper season. To give a short review, I love this episode. This episode pretty much combines a few of my favorite things all into one package of awesome. You've got the Ghostbusters, you have them in their animated form, you have Samhain, Halloween, Halloween lore, tons of ghosts, and a 1980's pop song. What more could I possibly ask for?
Lets get the story out of the way. It's leading up to Halloween and the Ghostbusters are finding that more and more ghost appearances are happening, and that the ghosts are increasingly more powerful. When some 7th century ruins arrive, an evil ghost named Samhain escapes thanks to the aid of his two goblin lackeys. His ultimate plan? To make it eternally night, and to slow time so that Halloween will last forever. The actual goal is actually a lot of fun compared to other ghosts, but that's a post for another day. It's up to the Ghostbusters to put a stop to this plan, and they are against one of their most formidable ghosts yet.
So. We have a pretty great story, considering the Monster of the Week formula that Ghostbusters uses. The animation itself is on par with other episodes. There is one small goof that I noticed, where Egon is shown in the group when he's actually not supposed to be in that scene. That aside, I didn't catch anything else that was blatantly notable. Even then, the mistake could be considered a 'blink and you'll miss it' type of deal.
The one pop song that plays is kind of catchy, and due to my nostalgia it's one that I would happily listen to on my mp3 player. The ghosts are all visually diverse, and there's a few that are a lot of fun to look at, most notably Samhain himself. I really enjoy the pumpkin head and old tattered robe that he wears. I think my only, minor, complaint with Samhain's visual look is that the head seems overly large in some scenes. That being said, the fade out to his glowing face is awesome.
All in all, I'd rank this episode a solid 4 1/2 /5
Season: 1
Episode: 8
Once again, it's that time of year in which I get to watch 'When Halloween was Forever' during the proper season. To give a short review, I love this episode. This episode pretty much combines a few of my favorite things all into one package of awesome. You've got the Ghostbusters, you have them in their animated form, you have Samhain, Halloween, Halloween lore, tons of ghosts, and a 1980's pop song. What more could I possibly ask for?
Lets get the story out of the way. It's leading up to Halloween and the Ghostbusters are finding that more and more ghost appearances are happening, and that the ghosts are increasingly more powerful. When some 7th century ruins arrive, an evil ghost named Samhain escapes thanks to the aid of his two goblin lackeys. His ultimate plan? To make it eternally night, and to slow time so that Halloween will last forever. The actual goal is actually a lot of fun compared to other ghosts, but that's a post for another day. It's up to the Ghostbusters to put a stop to this plan, and they are against one of their most formidable ghosts yet.
So. We have a pretty great story, considering the Monster of the Week formula that Ghostbusters uses. The animation itself is on par with other episodes. There is one small goof that I noticed, where Egon is shown in the group when he's actually not supposed to be in that scene. That aside, I didn't catch anything else that was blatantly notable. Even then, the mistake could be considered a 'blink and you'll miss it' type of deal.
The one pop song that plays is kind of catchy, and due to my nostalgia it's one that I would happily listen to on my mp3 player. The ghosts are all visually diverse, and there's a few that are a lot of fun to look at, most notably Samhain himself. I really enjoy the pumpkin head and old tattered robe that he wears. I think my only, minor, complaint with Samhain's visual look is that the head seems overly large in some scenes. That being said, the fade out to his glowing face is awesome.
All in all, I'd rank this episode a solid 4 1/2 /5
Mad Monster Party
This Halloween film is a bit of a first for me. I had never known that Rankin Bass created a Halloween special/film, and until this last year I mostly assumed they only created Christmas oriented material. So, finding this at the store, was a treat. I decided to take a chance on it and bought it on a whim, not knowing if it would be worth it or not. Was it worth it? Oh yes, most definitely.
Right off the bat I want to get one thing out of the way. This film sadly, does not seem to have aged well and this can be due to a number of reasons, such as being improperly stored. Due to this, there is obvious grain and the like appearing here and there in certain spots of the film. I didn't find this to be super distracting, but it ultimately did not hamper my enjoyment at all. Because this grain and wearing was not intentional, and could possibly not have been fixed, I won't be subtracting from the films overall ranking despite the wearing. Sometimes these things happen, especially with older films or shorts that aren't given the same treatment and care as more beloved ones.
With this ramble out of the way, lets get down to the film itself. The story is quite simple, Baron Frankenstein feels that he has succeeded with his last great discovery and wishes to retire while he is still on top. There is however one problem. How to tell all of the monsters? With a party of course! Sending out invitations, he summons a whole slew of classic monsters including Dracula, the Mummy, the Wolf Man, the Creature from the Lagoon, Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Frankenstein's Monster and his mate, and more. He also invites his distant nephew, Felix, who he wishes to be his heir and inherit all of his discoveries and secrets.
Upon discovering that the Baron is retiring, all of the monsters want to get their hands on his latest creation, a vial of liquid that can destroy matter. With the stakes high, a mad chase ensues and leads to an explosive finale.
Like all of Rankin-Bass' holiday work, there are a few songs found within the story. Perhaps if the film had aged better, the songs would sound much more crisp and vibrant, instead they don't sound quite as good as they may have upon initial release. Regardless of this, the songs are still rather entertaining, in my opinion, even if they don't quite reach the same level as some of the Christmas songs.
The stop-motion is rather well done, and does seem to be on par with the groups usual line of work. The characters are unique looking and fun to watch. There is the odd clunky moment here and there, but at the same time this film is a at least twice the length of the Christmas specials, so there is a lot more content worked in and perhaps easier to miss these things.
All in all, Mad Monster Party is a surprisingly fun addition to my Halloween line up and I can see myself watching it at least one more time this season. There are some slow parts, and some clunky bits that hamper things which is why I have given it the rating of:
3 1/2 / 5
Right off the bat I want to get one thing out of the way. This film sadly, does not seem to have aged well and this can be due to a number of reasons, such as being improperly stored. Due to this, there is obvious grain and the like appearing here and there in certain spots of the film. I didn't find this to be super distracting, but it ultimately did not hamper my enjoyment at all. Because this grain and wearing was not intentional, and could possibly not have been fixed, I won't be subtracting from the films overall ranking despite the wearing. Sometimes these things happen, especially with older films or shorts that aren't given the same treatment and care as more beloved ones.
With this ramble out of the way, lets get down to the film itself. The story is quite simple, Baron Frankenstein feels that he has succeeded with his last great discovery and wishes to retire while he is still on top. There is however one problem. How to tell all of the monsters? With a party of course! Sending out invitations, he summons a whole slew of classic monsters including Dracula, the Mummy, the Wolf Man, the Creature from the Lagoon, Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Frankenstein's Monster and his mate, and more. He also invites his distant nephew, Felix, who he wishes to be his heir and inherit all of his discoveries and secrets.
Upon discovering that the Baron is retiring, all of the monsters want to get their hands on his latest creation, a vial of liquid that can destroy matter. With the stakes high, a mad chase ensues and leads to an explosive finale.
Like all of Rankin-Bass' holiday work, there are a few songs found within the story. Perhaps if the film had aged better, the songs would sound much more crisp and vibrant, instead they don't sound quite as good as they may have upon initial release. Regardless of this, the songs are still rather entertaining, in my opinion, even if they don't quite reach the same level as some of the Christmas songs.
The stop-motion is rather well done, and does seem to be on par with the groups usual line of work. The characters are unique looking and fun to watch. There is the odd clunky moment here and there, but at the same time this film is a at least twice the length of the Christmas specials, so there is a lot more content worked in and perhaps easier to miss these things.
All in all, Mad Monster Party is a surprisingly fun addition to my Halloween line up and I can see myself watching it at least one more time this season. There are some slow parts, and some clunky bits that hamper things which is why I have given it the rating of:
3 1/2 / 5
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
TV Series and Cartoon Short Reviews.
Ok. A quick overview of how I imagine cartoon short reviews, and tv show reviews working.
First off Cartoon Shorts. Due to their length it will vary from dvd/blu disc to disc on how many are reviewed. Some dvds I have offer a selection of several shorts and I will be reviewing the full disc. For larger compilations such as the Walt Disney Treasures and the Looney Tunes Collections, I will do things in batches of five at least. Each short will have it's own post for ease of navigation.
TV Shows will work in a similar manner to Cartoon Shorts. I will view one disc per day, however the number of episodes will vary greatly depending on the show and the running time of each episode. Typical half hour shows will likely offer around 9 episodes per disc, while the hour long shows generally offer 3 to 4 episodes.
With that said, TV Shows will also vary in the sense that some shows such as the Simpsons have a very loose continuity, and will not require any extra information/review notes in the posts. In the case of other shows such as Supernatural, or Rome there is a larger continuity that I will try to track as best I can.
Thirdly. Halloween and Christmas TV Show episodes will still retain continuity notes, however when I get around to reviewing the series I will not double dip and instead will note anything of importance in the following episodes review if required.
One final note. I will be adding Labels starting with all current posts, and over time be adding labels to older posts to help ease navigation/searching on the blog. Labels will work as follows:
TV Show Labels: Show Name and Season Number, Show Name - Example: Rome S1, Rome
Cartoon Shorts: Studio Name, Character Name - Example: Disney, Donald Duck Short
Movie Labels: Genre, Sub-Genre - Example: Horror, Animal-Horror
Posts such as this one will all contain the label "Information" and all countdowns will of course have the "Countdown" label and perhaps a second one that refers to the type of countdown it is (Movie, Character, Song, etc.)
First off Cartoon Shorts. Due to their length it will vary from dvd/blu disc to disc on how many are reviewed. Some dvds I have offer a selection of several shorts and I will be reviewing the full disc. For larger compilations such as the Walt Disney Treasures and the Looney Tunes Collections, I will do things in batches of five at least. Each short will have it's own post for ease of navigation.
TV Shows will work in a similar manner to Cartoon Shorts. I will view one disc per day, however the number of episodes will vary greatly depending on the show and the running time of each episode. Typical half hour shows will likely offer around 9 episodes per disc, while the hour long shows generally offer 3 to 4 episodes.
With that said, TV Shows will also vary in the sense that some shows such as the Simpsons have a very loose continuity, and will not require any extra information/review notes in the posts. In the case of other shows such as Supernatural, or Rome there is a larger continuity that I will try to track as best I can.
Thirdly. Halloween and Christmas TV Show episodes will still retain continuity notes, however when I get around to reviewing the series I will not double dip and instead will note anything of importance in the following episodes review if required.
One final note. I will be adding Labels starting with all current posts, and over time be adding labels to older posts to help ease navigation/searching on the blog. Labels will work as follows:
TV Show Labels: Show Name and Season Number, Show Name - Example: Rome S1, Rome
Cartoon Shorts: Studio Name, Character Name - Example: Disney, Donald Duck Short
Movie Labels: Genre, Sub-Genre - Example: Horror, Animal-Horror
Posts such as this one will all contain the label "Information" and all countdowns will of course have the "Countdown" label and perhaps a second one that refers to the type of countdown it is (Movie, Character, Song, etc.)
Monday, October 1, 2012
Treehouse of Horror
Series: The Simpsons
Season: 2
Episode: 3
Tonight's post is the first in three ways. It marks the first Simpsons review, the first review of an episode, and finally the first of many Halloween themed episode reviews. Not to mention the first Treehouse of Horror reviews, of which there will be 5.
Due to the nature of episodes, there will be another post after this outlining how episode reviews/tv series reviews will work. For now though, on with the Treehouse of Horror.
This episode is full of nostalgia. I remember watching this as a kid, through the 90's every year when they would put it on. Unlike most Simpsons episodes, this one departs from the usual method of the episodes, and instead becomes episodic as we encounter three different scary tales. The filler between stories shows Bart, Lisa and Maggie discussing what is scary as the two older siblings have different ideas of horror. Meanwhile, Homer sits outside listening in, growing more frightened with each story told.
The first of the stories told is "Bad Dream House" and revolves around the family as they move into a spooky, haunted house. Like all Treehouse episodes, there are references abound in here, which is what makes these episodes such a treat to watch. The Shining, Amityville Horror, Poltergeist, The Exorcist, and the Addams Family home all provide inspiration to various moments in this segment. While this segment is enjoyable, I do recall enjoying the Shining segment more from a later Treehouse of Horror episode.
Our second segment is "Hungry Are the Damned" and features the Simpsons being beamed up into space, though it takes two beams to lift Homer, and encounter a trio of aliens who wish to take them to their home world. Kang and Kodos tell the family that upon arrival that the Simpsons will enjoy a world of infinite delights. Not trusting the aliens, Lisa uncovers a dust ridden book initially called "How to Cook Humans" though it is soon revealed the aliens truly did wish to bring the family to paradise. Hurt by the distrust, they leave the family on Earth. This segment is largely inspired by a Twilight Zone episode from 1962 called "To Serve Man" and is my least favorite of the three segments, though that isn't saying much since it is still fairly enjoyable.
The final segment, based off of Edgar Allen Poe's poem of the same name, is "The Raven" and features James Earl Jones giving the narration of the poem as Homer squares off in battle against a raven sporting Bart's head. This segment is a lot of fun to watch, especially if one is a fan of Poe's work. Like all three segments, and the wraparounds the animation is a step up from the first season of the show, though it does feel obvious that this is a much earlier episode in the series' run.
All together, this is the first of several great Treehouse of Horror episodes, and it can only get better from here. With that said, let the month of Halloween reviews begin, especially on a good note such as this one.
4/5
Season: 2
Episode: 3
Tonight's post is the first in three ways. It marks the first Simpsons review, the first review of an episode, and finally the first of many Halloween themed episode reviews. Not to mention the first Treehouse of Horror reviews, of which there will be 5.
Due to the nature of episodes, there will be another post after this outlining how episode reviews/tv series reviews will work. For now though, on with the Treehouse of Horror.
This episode is full of nostalgia. I remember watching this as a kid, through the 90's every year when they would put it on. Unlike most Simpsons episodes, this one departs from the usual method of the episodes, and instead becomes episodic as we encounter three different scary tales. The filler between stories shows Bart, Lisa and Maggie discussing what is scary as the two older siblings have different ideas of horror. Meanwhile, Homer sits outside listening in, growing more frightened with each story told.
The first of the stories told is "Bad Dream House" and revolves around the family as they move into a spooky, haunted house. Like all Treehouse episodes, there are references abound in here, which is what makes these episodes such a treat to watch. The Shining, Amityville Horror, Poltergeist, The Exorcist, and the Addams Family home all provide inspiration to various moments in this segment. While this segment is enjoyable, I do recall enjoying the Shining segment more from a later Treehouse of Horror episode.
Our second segment is "Hungry Are the Damned" and features the Simpsons being beamed up into space, though it takes two beams to lift Homer, and encounter a trio of aliens who wish to take them to their home world. Kang and Kodos tell the family that upon arrival that the Simpsons will enjoy a world of infinite delights. Not trusting the aliens, Lisa uncovers a dust ridden book initially called "How to Cook Humans" though it is soon revealed the aliens truly did wish to bring the family to paradise. Hurt by the distrust, they leave the family on Earth. This segment is largely inspired by a Twilight Zone episode from 1962 called "To Serve Man" and is my least favorite of the three segments, though that isn't saying much since it is still fairly enjoyable.
The final segment, based off of Edgar Allen Poe's poem of the same name, is "The Raven" and features James Earl Jones giving the narration of the poem as Homer squares off in battle against a raven sporting Bart's head. This segment is a lot of fun to watch, especially if one is a fan of Poe's work. Like all three segments, and the wraparounds the animation is a step up from the first season of the show, though it does feel obvious that this is a much earlier episode in the series' run.
All together, this is the first of several great Treehouse of Horror episodes, and it can only get better from here. With that said, let the month of Halloween reviews begin, especially on a good note such as this one.
4/5
Fantasia
Fantasia. Months ago I started this blog with Fantasia 200, and what better way to end the first series of movies than with the original classic? Fantasia is one of those very unique pieces that the studio produced, as well as unique in the way that I have grown up with this film. Fantasia is one of those pieces that is considered art, and as such it does tend to be a bit tedious for the younger generations who don't always want to sit through a film quite like this. Growing up, I was one of those kids. Whenever I did watch this film, I often found myself fast forwarding several segments to get to the ones I liked the most if I even had the attention span to be bothered. Now as an adult, I truly appreciate this film, all of the hard work that was put into it, and walk away with a lot of respect for Fantasia. Obviously I do have some partial bias now, given my blog name, and that is a sign of just how far I've come since I was a kid who quite often couldn't make it through the first half of this film.
Now that I'm done rambling on, it's time to dive right in and go over each of the segments themselves. First up is Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. This segment is one of the ones I used to hate sitting through as a kid simply because I never cared about the abstract imagery being shown. As an adult, this segment isn't really one of my favorites but it is still visually interesting to watch and really helps to get the film going on a good note.
The second segment we come across is the Nutcracker Suite, which highlights the changing of the seasons through various means. This is one of my favorites. I have always loved watching the sprites work their magic, creating dew filled fields of flowers and skating upon the ice. The entire segment is a visual treat and tells a rather loose story of the seasons changing, just enough to keep it all tied together in comparison to our first segment.
Moving along, we reach the segment which I am sure everyone remembers the best. I am, of course, talking about the Sorcerers Apprentice, starring none other than Mickey Mouse. Who doesn't love this segment? Watching Mickey dream of being a wizard equal to his master, and learning the hard way of how easily things can go wrong is still entertaining even to this day. Perhaps an overlooked thing by casual movie viewers, is that Mickey's master does have the name Yen Sid which is "Disney" backwards. I never quite caught on to this until I did a bit of reading and thought it was a rather neat addition.
Our fourth segment is the Rite of Spring. This segment is an odd one. On the one hand I have always loved watching the dinosaurs roam the earth, and especially enjoyed the fight between the T-Rex and the Stegosaurus. On the other hand, the opening and closing do feel a bit slower to me, and when I was younger the opening especially felt too long. Regardless, it is still an interesting look at the history of Earth's evolution
Now we reach the Pastoral Symphony. This has always been one of my favorites of Fantasia simply because of the heavy use of ancient Greece. The Pastoral Symphony simply has it all, from the courtship of the centaurs, the fauns, the unicorns, the pegasus families, to the various Greek gods and goddesses. This segment has everything going for it in order to keep my attention. The colors are vibrant and enjoyable, and the backgrounds themselves are quite beautiful to watch. I know what most readers are thinking. "What about the deleted character?" Yes. There is a deleted centaur female named Sunflower, who was removed because of the heavy racial stereotyping, and racist manner in which she was incorporated. In later years, this character was removed, and to those with a much better eye than myself, are able to point out the parts where she was removed and how to spot it. Do I agree with the removal? Well, yes and no. I do fully understand why she was removed, and respect that choice. On the other hand, it does raise the question of "How can we learn from this mistake by pretending it never happened?" However, this is a can of worms better suited for another post.
Moving on, we reach the Dance of the Hours. This segment, much to my shame, is one of the segments I don't really remember that well. To be honest, it was quite a miracle for me to make it THIS far viewing the film as a kid, so it really is no wonder that I don't have quite the same nostalgic connection. With that said, the segment itself is actually a very entertaining look at the hours of the day as we see different animals dancing about at first on their own, and then all together in a madcap, chaotic finish.
Night on Bald Mountain and Ave Maria. What can I possibly say about these two segments to really do them justice? Obviously, I have quite a connection to Night on Bald Mountain and that is largely thanks to Chernabog being such a driving force during this segment. He is a visually powerful character, with facial expressions that easily convey his thoughts with the aid of his actions. This character is quite powerful as well in a magical sense as he is able to draw the dead out of their graves, even if they are on holy ground. Opening his wings at night, the demonic god summons the dead to come swirling up the mountain to him as he allows the creatures of the night to dance and transform to his cruel amusement. The ghosts are varied visually and always interesting to watch. The entire segment is quite dark, and rather scary for a Disney film which is what makes it so much fun for me, especially now as an adult. This segment is also perfectly complimented by Ave Maria which begins to sunrise as Chernabog is forced back into hiding as a mountain peak while beautiful scenes of a forest unfold before us. These final two segments end Fantasia on an extremely good note.
In the end, Fantasia is really well animated and fully worth the couple of hours it takes to sit and watch it. Even though there is no singular plot, or even spoken words during the segments themselves, the entire film still manages to convey so many stories, emotions and thoughts to the audience. This film is easily one of my favorites, not only for Disney but perhaps of all time.
5/5
Now that I'm done rambling on, it's time to dive right in and go over each of the segments themselves. First up is Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. This segment is one of the ones I used to hate sitting through as a kid simply because I never cared about the abstract imagery being shown. As an adult, this segment isn't really one of my favorites but it is still visually interesting to watch and really helps to get the film going on a good note.
The second segment we come across is the Nutcracker Suite, which highlights the changing of the seasons through various means. This is one of my favorites. I have always loved watching the sprites work their magic, creating dew filled fields of flowers and skating upon the ice. The entire segment is a visual treat and tells a rather loose story of the seasons changing, just enough to keep it all tied together in comparison to our first segment.
Moving along, we reach the segment which I am sure everyone remembers the best. I am, of course, talking about the Sorcerers Apprentice, starring none other than Mickey Mouse. Who doesn't love this segment? Watching Mickey dream of being a wizard equal to his master, and learning the hard way of how easily things can go wrong is still entertaining even to this day. Perhaps an overlooked thing by casual movie viewers, is that Mickey's master does have the name Yen Sid which is "Disney" backwards. I never quite caught on to this until I did a bit of reading and thought it was a rather neat addition.
Our fourth segment is the Rite of Spring. This segment is an odd one. On the one hand I have always loved watching the dinosaurs roam the earth, and especially enjoyed the fight between the T-Rex and the Stegosaurus. On the other hand, the opening and closing do feel a bit slower to me, and when I was younger the opening especially felt too long. Regardless, it is still an interesting look at the history of Earth's evolution
Now we reach the Pastoral Symphony. This has always been one of my favorites of Fantasia simply because of the heavy use of ancient Greece. The Pastoral Symphony simply has it all, from the courtship of the centaurs, the fauns, the unicorns, the pegasus families, to the various Greek gods and goddesses. This segment has everything going for it in order to keep my attention. The colors are vibrant and enjoyable, and the backgrounds themselves are quite beautiful to watch. I know what most readers are thinking. "What about the deleted character?" Yes. There is a deleted centaur female named Sunflower, who was removed because of the heavy racial stereotyping, and racist manner in which she was incorporated. In later years, this character was removed, and to those with a much better eye than myself, are able to point out the parts where she was removed and how to spot it. Do I agree with the removal? Well, yes and no. I do fully understand why she was removed, and respect that choice. On the other hand, it does raise the question of "How can we learn from this mistake by pretending it never happened?" However, this is a can of worms better suited for another post.
Moving on, we reach the Dance of the Hours. This segment, much to my shame, is one of the segments I don't really remember that well. To be honest, it was quite a miracle for me to make it THIS far viewing the film as a kid, so it really is no wonder that I don't have quite the same nostalgic connection. With that said, the segment itself is actually a very entertaining look at the hours of the day as we see different animals dancing about at first on their own, and then all together in a madcap, chaotic finish.
Night on Bald Mountain and Ave Maria. What can I possibly say about these two segments to really do them justice? Obviously, I have quite a connection to Night on Bald Mountain and that is largely thanks to Chernabog being such a driving force during this segment. He is a visually powerful character, with facial expressions that easily convey his thoughts with the aid of his actions. This character is quite powerful as well in a magical sense as he is able to draw the dead out of their graves, even if they are on holy ground. Opening his wings at night, the demonic god summons the dead to come swirling up the mountain to him as he allows the creatures of the night to dance and transform to his cruel amusement. The ghosts are varied visually and always interesting to watch. The entire segment is quite dark, and rather scary for a Disney film which is what makes it so much fun for me, especially now as an adult. This segment is also perfectly complimented by Ave Maria which begins to sunrise as Chernabog is forced back into hiding as a mountain peak while beautiful scenes of a forest unfold before us. These final two segments end Fantasia on an extremely good note.
In the end, Fantasia is really well animated and fully worth the couple of hours it takes to sit and watch it. Even though there is no singular plot, or even spoken words during the segments themselves, the entire film still manages to convey so many stories, emotions and thoughts to the audience. This film is easily one of my favorites, not only for Disney but perhaps of all time.
5/5
Pinocchio
Walt Disney's second full length animated feature, Pinocchio is the timeless story of a puppet who strives to be good so that one day he can become a real boy. This film is rather surprising in a few ways, which I will highlight as I go review this rather wonderful film.
So lets start with the story. As I outlined above, Pinocchio is a young puppet who comes to life thanks to the aid of the Blue Fairy. Aided by his conscience, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio sets out in a rather undefined European town to go to school. Like all good intentions, the young puppet is quickly lead astray by several figures on the road to becoming a real boy. While the film does have episodic qualities, things still run really smoothly as each interaction with new characters and locations only strengthen the films strong points.
What are these strong points? For one there is the music, which is easily ranked among Disney's best. Four of the five songs are quite well known, especially When You Wish Upon A Star, and each song serves to strengthen the film and none of them are fully forgettable aside from Geppetto's often overlooked ditty early on in the film.
However, where would a film be without its characters? In a very surprising twist, that has yet to be done again, the villains far outnumber our heroes. The first villains we run into are Honest John and Gideon who appear twice in the film, and both run ins with them lead to Pinocchio being guided to even worse characters. The first of the two that Honest John and Gideon lead Pinocchio to Stromboli, a puppeteer who has sinister intentions for our hero. The second time we come across Honest John and Gideon, they send Pinocchio off to Pleasure Island with the very sinister Coachman. This character is perhaps one of Disney's most frightening as he comes across as very demonic while hiding behind his sly smiles. Our final villain, and my favorite of the group, is the enormous whale Monstro. This character is so well done, from the lead up to the encounter, to the actual action scene on the ocean as Pinocchio and his father try to escape the savage whale. Monstro is very well animated, the way he moves gives the suggestion of having that bulky weight thanks to the timing and animation. The whale himself is also quite scary in the sense that he goes out of his way to bring terror to the ocean life and obviously enjoys what he's doing.
Now for the animation. Aside from one small continuity error with Geppetto's nightcap appearing and disappearing, there is nothing fully wrong with the animation at all. The entire film is enjoyable to look at, whether it is the quaint little village that Pinocchio and his father live in, the various clocks in Geppetto's shop, to the backgrounds on Pleasure Island. On top of this, there are also some really great scenes all throughout the film, two of which include Pinocchio's lie making his nose grow, to the terrifying scene as Lampwick changes into a donkey.
Pinocchio is certainly a very unique entry into the Disney cannon, and is one of the studios best pieces of work. Some of the surprises I mentioned above are the fact that we have a large number of villains, who also never get their comeuppance at all. Another pleasant surprise is how well the moral tone of the story is delivered. The film never comes across as fake or as being overly preachy at all, which can be really hard to pull off. If you have not seen this movie, I would highly suggest you take the time to see it.
5/5
So lets start with the story. As I outlined above, Pinocchio is a young puppet who comes to life thanks to the aid of the Blue Fairy. Aided by his conscience, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio sets out in a rather undefined European town to go to school. Like all good intentions, the young puppet is quickly lead astray by several figures on the road to becoming a real boy. While the film does have episodic qualities, things still run really smoothly as each interaction with new characters and locations only strengthen the films strong points.
What are these strong points? For one there is the music, which is easily ranked among Disney's best. Four of the five songs are quite well known, especially When You Wish Upon A Star, and each song serves to strengthen the film and none of them are fully forgettable aside from Geppetto's often overlooked ditty early on in the film.
However, where would a film be without its characters? In a very surprising twist, that has yet to be done again, the villains far outnumber our heroes. The first villains we run into are Honest John and Gideon who appear twice in the film, and both run ins with them lead to Pinocchio being guided to even worse characters. The first of the two that Honest John and Gideon lead Pinocchio to Stromboli, a puppeteer who has sinister intentions for our hero. The second time we come across Honest John and Gideon, they send Pinocchio off to Pleasure Island with the very sinister Coachman. This character is perhaps one of Disney's most frightening as he comes across as very demonic while hiding behind his sly smiles. Our final villain, and my favorite of the group, is the enormous whale Monstro. This character is so well done, from the lead up to the encounter, to the actual action scene on the ocean as Pinocchio and his father try to escape the savage whale. Monstro is very well animated, the way he moves gives the suggestion of having that bulky weight thanks to the timing and animation. The whale himself is also quite scary in the sense that he goes out of his way to bring terror to the ocean life and obviously enjoys what he's doing.
Now for the animation. Aside from one small continuity error with Geppetto's nightcap appearing and disappearing, there is nothing fully wrong with the animation at all. The entire film is enjoyable to look at, whether it is the quaint little village that Pinocchio and his father live in, the various clocks in Geppetto's shop, to the backgrounds on Pleasure Island. On top of this, there are also some really great scenes all throughout the film, two of which include Pinocchio's lie making his nose grow, to the terrifying scene as Lampwick changes into a donkey.
Pinocchio is certainly a very unique entry into the Disney cannon, and is one of the studios best pieces of work. Some of the surprises I mentioned above are the fact that we have a large number of villains, who also never get their comeuppance at all. Another pleasant surprise is how well the moral tone of the story is delivered. The film never comes across as fake or as being overly preachy at all, which can be really hard to pull off. If you have not seen this movie, I would highly suggest you take the time to see it.
5/5
Friday, September 7, 2012
Not Dead Yet
Wow it has been a while. I did finish watching Pinocchio and Fantasia, but I have been stupidly busy (and forgetful) and didn't quite get around to posting their reviews. This will still happen, hopefully this week.
But what comes next?
Tomorrow, when I am far more coherent I will be going over what my options are and weighing if I want to review a T.V series next and finish a bunch of those this month, or if I want to hit up another genre.
Oct. will very likely be a month of Horror. I am unsure what will really go down for that month since there are oodles of Halloween themed episodes that also need tending to. You can likely expect to see those and other Halloween-centric films like Hocus Pocus and Halloween Tree to pop up as extra posts all through October.
November, who knows at this point. Your guess is as good as mine right now.
December. This will be like Oct. in the sense that there are oodles of Holiday themed movies and episodes to hit up. Depending on the numbers, December might actually be just a month of Christmas stuff and maybe a bunch of other random extra goodies.
I don't dare venture guesses further than this, but this can give everyone an idea of what to expect and also gives me an idea of what to start planning out more.
First things first though! Fantasia and Pinocchio reviews this weekend and possibly a list of the DAC's and how they ultimately rank against each other after it is all said and done.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Top 5 Villains, Top 5 Heroes and Top 5 Songs for the Golden Years
Doing this a bit early, but here are the Top 5's for Villains and Songs. The Heroes and Heroines category has been smushed into one this time due to the lack of characters to choose from.
Top 5 Songs:
5) Pink Elephants on Parade (Dumbo)
4) I'm Wishing/One Song (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
3) Night on Bald Mountain (Fantasia)
2) Baby of Mine (Dumbo)
1) When You Wish Upon A Star (Pinocchio)
Top 5 Heroes/Heroines:
5) Bambi (Bambi)
4) Grumpy (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
3) Figaro (Pinocchio)
2) Sorceror Mickey (Fantasia)
1) Dumbo (Dumbo)
Top 5 Villains:
5) Stromboli (Pinocchio)
4) The Coachman (Pinocchio)
3) Monstro (Pinocchio)
2) Evil Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
1) Chernabog (Fantasia)
Top 5 Songs:
5) Pink Elephants on Parade (Dumbo)
4) I'm Wishing/One Song (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
3) Night on Bald Mountain (Fantasia)
2) Baby of Mine (Dumbo)
1) When You Wish Upon A Star (Pinocchio)
Top 5 Heroes/Heroines:
5) Bambi (Bambi)
4) Grumpy (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
3) Figaro (Pinocchio)
2) Sorceror Mickey (Fantasia)
1) Dumbo (Dumbo)
Top 5 Villains:
5) Stromboli (Pinocchio)
4) The Coachman (Pinocchio)
3) Monstro (Pinocchio)
2) Evil Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
1) Chernabog (Fantasia)
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Dumbo
Dumbo is one of Disney's earliest films, and is also pretty straight forward as well. This film really helped to save the company in the early 1940's given how the European market was closed due to the war, as well as a labour strike within the company itself. These factors had stalled Bambi and the cartoon shorts just weren't bringing in the needed money, so Disney turned to producing a quick feature film in the form of Dumbo which is also one of the shortest in the canon at only 64 minutes.
One of Dumbo's biggest perks is that it has universal themes that are still very applicable to today's audiences just as much as it applied to the movie-goers of the 1940's. Being an underdog story, it shows how to overcome adversity and the obstacles that come your way, themes which were quite relevant with the world war coming to a boil, and the depression not long forgotten. The short runtime may be a hamper in most other films, yet it feels just right for Dumbo given how simple the story itself is. The Pink Elephants sequence does drag on a bit, but is at least trippy enough to still entertain in its own crazy way. With that aside, the story manages to convey the emotional bond between Dumbo and his mother really well without them ever saying a word to each other, save for the chorus sung Baby of Mine.
The animation here isn't quite as outstanding as the other four films from Disney's first five. Backgrounds are pretty simplistic and are detailed enough to show where we are, and even the characters are designed just well enough so that their expressive faces can help get emotions across during the scenes. This doesn't fully hamper the film, but Dumbo's circumstances were also quite different from the other films for when they were made. One interesting thing to note is that the bright colours of the circus are balanced every so often by much darker scenes at night, which is supposedly due to audiences still being new to colour films and this was to help from having the colours being overbearing.
Easily our strongest character in the film is Dumbo himself, who never says a single word yet manages to get across so many emotions. One thing that I always seem to have forgotten is that during this film Dumbo is only a few days old at best and still very new to the world and because of this his character grows quite a bit during the short run time. One of the saddest things about this film is that the majority of the characters generally abuse and mock Dumbo because of his large ears. While his mother does love him, she is all too quickly taken away and all he has left is his new friendship with Timothy Mouse. One thing that stood out to me was a very subtle touch where when they walk around together, Dumbo holds Timothy's tail with his trunk the same way a young child would hold hands with someone while walking. It's the little things like this that really stand out to me and add to the characters relationships with each other.
Ok. Ok. I know what you're waiting for before I end this review. Yes the crows in here are racist stereotypes, and yes it is frowned upon today and quite inappropriate. With this being said, Dumbo was made in the 1940's before mindsets began to change for the better, and while it doesn't excuse racism it's important to keep in mind the time period in which films were made. The last thing I wish to point out about the crows is that despite their racism, they also help Dumbo by providing the 'magic feather' to boost Dumbo's confidence and in the end gets him to overcome his obstacles with that extra bit.
4/5
One of Dumbo's biggest perks is that it has universal themes that are still very applicable to today's audiences just as much as it applied to the movie-goers of the 1940's. Being an underdog story, it shows how to overcome adversity and the obstacles that come your way, themes which were quite relevant with the world war coming to a boil, and the depression not long forgotten. The short runtime may be a hamper in most other films, yet it feels just right for Dumbo given how simple the story itself is. The Pink Elephants sequence does drag on a bit, but is at least trippy enough to still entertain in its own crazy way. With that aside, the story manages to convey the emotional bond between Dumbo and his mother really well without them ever saying a word to each other, save for the chorus sung Baby of Mine.
The animation here isn't quite as outstanding as the other four films from Disney's first five. Backgrounds are pretty simplistic and are detailed enough to show where we are, and even the characters are designed just well enough so that their expressive faces can help get emotions across during the scenes. This doesn't fully hamper the film, but Dumbo's circumstances were also quite different from the other films for when they were made. One interesting thing to note is that the bright colours of the circus are balanced every so often by much darker scenes at night, which is supposedly due to audiences still being new to colour films and this was to help from having the colours being overbearing.
Easily our strongest character in the film is Dumbo himself, who never says a single word yet manages to get across so many emotions. One thing that I always seem to have forgotten is that during this film Dumbo is only a few days old at best and still very new to the world and because of this his character grows quite a bit during the short run time. One of the saddest things about this film is that the majority of the characters generally abuse and mock Dumbo because of his large ears. While his mother does love him, she is all too quickly taken away and all he has left is his new friendship with Timothy Mouse. One thing that stood out to me was a very subtle touch where when they walk around together, Dumbo holds Timothy's tail with his trunk the same way a young child would hold hands with someone while walking. It's the little things like this that really stand out to me and add to the characters relationships with each other.
Ok. Ok. I know what you're waiting for before I end this review. Yes the crows in here are racist stereotypes, and yes it is frowned upon today and quite inappropriate. With this being said, Dumbo was made in the 1940's before mindsets began to change for the better, and while it doesn't excuse racism it's important to keep in mind the time period in which films were made. The last thing I wish to point out about the crows is that despite their racism, they also help Dumbo by providing the 'magic feather' to boost Dumbo's confidence and in the end gets him to overcome his obstacles with that extra bit.
4/5
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Well known as the "One that started it all" Snow White is also one of Disney's most well known classic films, and for good reason.
Snow White also made use of the multi-camera and upon watching this in Blu-Ray it really became evident of how well the camera was put to use with the visual clarity being offered in this format. Of course upon seeing it in dvd you can still get full enjoyment from the animation in Snow White. It's really quite a feat considering how just a few years before this, we had very, very rubbery human characters in the Silly Symphony "Goddess of Spring." To compare Persephone from the Silly Symphony to the human characters in this film, you can really see how far Disney's team has come given how realistic our characters look. We also get two really great scenes that are nearly as trippy to watch as Pink Elephants On Parade. The first is when Snow White is running through the forest, frightened by everything as the trees and forest warp to scary images such as grasping hands and alligators. The second scene is later on as the Evil Queen transforms herself and we briefly see the world spinning as her spell works its magic. The story is also rather well paced as we get time to enjoy our characters instead of simply rushing on through things.
Moving along to our characters the pacing is actually a slight hamper to Snow White herself. The main problem with Snow White is that we spend so much time with her that we really discover how plain and one-note she is. Her sweetness is very overdone and borders upon pandering when she coddles the dwarves like a mother, despite being much younger than they are. This is rather ironic as the dwarves themselves were supposed to be one-note characters in terms of personality as each one represented a different emotion. Instead they are just as well fleshed out as the Evil Queen, and more fleshed out than Snow White is. The one dwarf who really stands out is Grumpy as he is the total opposite of Snow White and yet is still shown to care about her well being despite his gruff exterior. As for our villain, the Evil Queen has been described as so frightening and realistic that Walt Disney himself said that he would never make a villain like that again. Despite having the least amount of screen time, the Evil Queen is a very powerful character who has presence even when off-screen and has some really great scenes especially the previously mentioned transformation scene, which frightened me quite badly as a young child to the point that I refused to finish the film.
The last thing to really touch note on is the music itself. Snow White has some very memorable songs that are still well known even today. There isn't really a whole lot to mention about the songs, so I will also take a moment to note that the score itself is timed well to the action on screen and not just there to evoke a mood. This really helps the film and is most effective at the very end when there is no more dialogue and instead it is up to the music and a background chorus to drive the story as Snow White's tear-jerking funeral occurs and her rescue by the Prince as he gives her loves first kiss.
It is quite easy to see why Snow White is such a classic, as well as why it is held to such a high degree. In a few short years Disney went from short cartoons to producing a film like this that quite easily changed and influenced animation as a medium.
5/5
Snow White also made use of the multi-camera and upon watching this in Blu-Ray it really became evident of how well the camera was put to use with the visual clarity being offered in this format. Of course upon seeing it in dvd you can still get full enjoyment from the animation in Snow White. It's really quite a feat considering how just a few years before this, we had very, very rubbery human characters in the Silly Symphony "Goddess of Spring." To compare Persephone from the Silly Symphony to the human characters in this film, you can really see how far Disney's team has come given how realistic our characters look. We also get two really great scenes that are nearly as trippy to watch as Pink Elephants On Parade. The first is when Snow White is running through the forest, frightened by everything as the trees and forest warp to scary images such as grasping hands and alligators. The second scene is later on as the Evil Queen transforms herself and we briefly see the world spinning as her spell works its magic. The story is also rather well paced as we get time to enjoy our characters instead of simply rushing on through things.
Moving along to our characters the pacing is actually a slight hamper to Snow White herself. The main problem with Snow White is that we spend so much time with her that we really discover how plain and one-note she is. Her sweetness is very overdone and borders upon pandering when she coddles the dwarves like a mother, despite being much younger than they are. This is rather ironic as the dwarves themselves were supposed to be one-note characters in terms of personality as each one represented a different emotion. Instead they are just as well fleshed out as the Evil Queen, and more fleshed out than Snow White is. The one dwarf who really stands out is Grumpy as he is the total opposite of Snow White and yet is still shown to care about her well being despite his gruff exterior. As for our villain, the Evil Queen has been described as so frightening and realistic that Walt Disney himself said that he would never make a villain like that again. Despite having the least amount of screen time, the Evil Queen is a very powerful character who has presence even when off-screen and has some really great scenes especially the previously mentioned transformation scene, which frightened me quite badly as a young child to the point that I refused to finish the film.
The last thing to really touch note on is the music itself. Snow White has some very memorable songs that are still well known even today. There isn't really a whole lot to mention about the songs, so I will also take a moment to note that the score itself is timed well to the action on screen and not just there to evoke a mood. This really helps the film and is most effective at the very end when there is no more dialogue and instead it is up to the music and a background chorus to drive the story as Snow White's tear-jerking funeral occurs and her rescue by the Prince as he gives her loves first kiss.
It is quite easy to see why Snow White is such a classic, as well as why it is held to such a high degree. In a few short years Disney went from short cartoons to producing a film like this that quite easily changed and influenced animation as a medium.
5/5
Monday, July 2, 2012
Bambi
Bambi is the first of the final five Disney canon films to be reviewed, and it's quite a great way to start the home stretch as we get to see some of Walt's best films that he had made during his lifetime. Part of the reason these films are among the best is because this was during a time when animated films were new to Walt and still quite exciting territory to explore. Bambi was one film that made use of the multi-plane camera, and it really shows that they used this tool to its full extent.
Bambi is one of the Walt era's best looking films. The backgrounds are lush and have a sense of depth to them, it really looks like a forest is on screen instead of a flat looking background that is simply there. You can also really see a large attention to minor details such as the bark upon the trees or the way the rain becomes a small, rushing stream upon the ground during the April Showers song. There's also a very small moment where very early in the film, a small mouse washes his face with a rain drop on a leaf. These little bits give the film extra touches and take a moment to build on the world around our main character.
As far as music goes, very little stands out in my mind. While the songs are fairly good and serve their intended purpose, they just lack that extra oomph to stick around the next day unlike other songs. My favourite of the songs in this film is the Little April Showers song, a large part of it is because of the visuals we get to watch as the song plays out across the screen. An interesting note here is that none of the main characters sing the songs and instead we get the songs being sung in the background. There is one particular song where a bunch of birds sing a happy song, but none of them are characters that we actually know.
Story wise, Bambi is a far more realistic film in the canon. When we meet Bambi we learn he's a young prince, but this doesn't impact his story at all, it just suggests he's important enough for us to watch him. As we watch Bambi, we don't see him doing anything to work towards becoming a better prince or to do anything that would bring him glory. Instead we get to see Bambi simply living his life, discovering new things as he grows and with each changing season, he learns different lessons. This sense of learning is most evident during winter when Bambi experiences loss. Early on in the film Bambi learns of the danger in the meadow and the entire sequence is a bit tense because a person could almost expect that danger to rear its head, yet nothing bad happens save for a close call when Man first enters the forest. It is not until later, during winter, in which Bambi loses his mother in one of the most heartbreaking scenes in film. We never see it happen, nor do we ever see his mother again or the man who killed her. Instead we only get Bambi's cries for her and a very long silence that feels like forever as he realizes what has happened. This was a really bold move for Disney to take given how family friendly the company has always been, and yet it was well worth it for the emotional impact it has on the story, and on the audience.
I'd like to finish up this review with a few quick notes on the characters themselves. All of our characters fit into the grand scheme of the film. Bambi and Faline meet early on in the meadow instead of having her be the last minute lover interest who appears only near the end. Instead we get a chance to see them interact for a bit first before she seems to be forgotten as we move on to other experiences. Bambi's friends appear only long enough to provide new experiences and never wear out their welcome. I was rather surprised at how little time Flower had and had thought he was in more of the film. I do find the Friend Owl to be rather curious. While he can be interesting and rather funny, I do have to wonder what he eats if he's friends with all the little woodland creatures.
4 1/2/ 5
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Top 5 Henchmen and Top 5 Villains 1950 - 1960's
Our final countdown. Both of these lists were quite easy to put together and ultimately just came down to finding what I felt was the right order for the characters.
Top 5 Henchmen:
5) Diablo (Sleeping Beauty)
4) Jasper and Horace (101 Dalmatians)
3) Lucifur (Cinderella)
2) Anastasia and Drizella (Cinderella)
1) Mr. Smee (Peter Pan)
Top 5 Villains:
5) Captain Hook (Peter Pan)
4) Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmatians)
3) Lady Tremaine (Cinderella)
2) Mad Madame Mim (Sword in the Stone)
1) Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
Top 5 Henchmen:
5) Diablo (Sleeping Beauty)
4) Jasper and Horace (101 Dalmatians)
3) Lucifur (Cinderella)
2) Anastasia and Drizella (Cinderella)
1) Mr. Smee (Peter Pan)
Top 5 Villains:
5) Captain Hook (Peter Pan)
4) Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmatians)
3) Lady Tremaine (Cinderella)
2) Mad Madame Mim (Sword in the Stone)
1) Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
Top 5 Heroes and Top 5 Heroines 1950 - 1960's
Today will cover the final two countdowns for the 1950 to 1960's period of the Disney canon. Both of these lists were rather interesting to try putting together, especially in comparison to the 1990's film period due to the number of available characters to pick from.
Top 5 Heroines:
5) Alice (Alice in Wonderland)
4) Perdita (101 Dalmatians)
3) Lady (Lady and the Tramp)
2) Wendy (Peter Pan)
1) Cinderella (Cinderella)
Top 5 Heroes:
5) Tramp (Lady and the Tramp)
4) Pongo (101 Dalmatians)
3) Peter Pan (Peter Pan)
2) Prince Phillip (Sleeping Beauty)
1) Merlin (Sword in the Stone)
Top 5 Heroines:
5) Alice (Alice in Wonderland)
4) Perdita (101 Dalmatians)
3) Lady (Lady and the Tramp)
2) Wendy (Peter Pan)
1) Cinderella (Cinderella)
Top 5 Heroes:
5) Tramp (Lady and the Tramp)
4) Pongo (101 Dalmatians)
3) Peter Pan (Peter Pan)
2) Prince Phillip (Sleeping Beauty)
1) Merlin (Sword in the Stone)
Friday, June 29, 2012
Top 5 Songs and Top 5 Sidekicks 1950 - 1960's
Last post for the day. Today we will start the first of three posts to cover the countdowns during the 1950's to the mid 1960's period of the Disney canon. The song list was a bit harder to do, while the Sidekicks was much more easily done it felt like. So here are the lists.
Top 5 Sidekicks:
5) Tinkerbell (Peter Pan)
4) Jaq and Gus (Cinderella)
3) Jock and Trusty (Lady and the Tramp)
2) Flora, Fauna and Merryweather (Sleeping Beauty)
1) Archimedes (Sword in the Stone)
Top 5 Songs:
5) You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly! (Peter Pan)
4) Unbirthday Song (Alice in Wonderland)
3) Once Upon A Dream (Sleeping Beauty)
2) I Wanna Be Like You (Jungle Book)
1) A Dream Is A Wish (Cinderella)
Top 5 Sidekicks:
5) Tinkerbell (Peter Pan)
4) Jaq and Gus (Cinderella)
3) Jock and Trusty (Lady and the Tramp)
2) Flora, Fauna and Merryweather (Sleeping Beauty)
1) Archimedes (Sword in the Stone)
Top 5 Songs:
5) You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly! (Peter Pan)
4) Unbirthday Song (Alice in Wonderland)
3) Once Upon A Dream (Sleeping Beauty)
2) I Wanna Be Like You (Jungle Book)
1) A Dream Is A Wish (Cinderella)
Cinderella
Cinderella is the first film of Disney's second successful age in animation, and the last film of this age that I will be reviewing. Growing up, this was one of the films that I had much easier access to and has left a rather nostalgic imprint on me. With that said, it has been quite some time since I last saw this film so it made for an enjoyable experience getting to watch it again.
Cinderella is one of those films where the plot is so simple and rather short that it makes it hard to really flesh things out a bit. Disney decided to pad out the runtime a bit more by giving us quite an excess of scenes revolving around Cinderella's animal friends as they gather breakfast and do their best to avoid Lucifur, the fat and rather pompous cat of the household. While their antics with Lucifur can be entertaining, it would have been nice to perhaps see more of their relationship with Cinderella instead. To also add to the runtime of the film, we get a couple of scenes with the Duke and the King which are also rather comical and help further the plot a bit more than the mice's scenes do. Despite all of this, the film does seem to go at it's own, slower pace and doesn't try to rush through things at all. One small thing that I actually noticed this time around is that the film takes place largely over the course of only one day, and the following morning, and for some reason I had never really noticed this.
The animation in Cinderella certainly does mark a change in the Disney canon. On the one hand, it is a step up from the War Years shorts, yet it's not quite on the same level as films from later on in the decade such as Sleeping Beauty. The backgrounds are rather simplistic, though not to the same degree as Charlie Brown shorts, yet are still rather nice to look at. The scenes at the ball when Cinderella and the Prince are dancing are among the most visually interesting parts, and the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo song is also visually fun to watch all of the transformations occurring.
The songs come to us in two different manners. The Work Song, sung by the mice is rather infectious and quite bouncy, as if the previously mentioned Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo. Both of the songs are quite fun and certainly stand out. The other way the songs are presented to us is almost in a much more solemn manner in the form of Sing Sweet Nightengale, and A Dream Is A Wish. These two songs, and the song So This Is Love, are much slower yet are still fully enjoyable to listen to both in the film and on their own.
As for the characters, all of them are rather fun to watch even if the mice do tend to hog the spotlight a bit. Lady Tremaine, or the Evil Stepmother as she's sometimes better known as, is one of Disney's better villains and has a really eerie realness to her. You could see this woman actually existing in our world and is very dangerous in how she uses emotional manipulation to get things done instead of relying on physical force or magical means. Cinderella is quite enjoyable and has a very innocent quality to her without making her younger as a result of it. She does have her one moment where she actually does mock the Stepsisters musical ability and this keeps her from being Too Nice. The mice and Lucifur are quite fun, and I especially enjoy the latter as he's shown to be just as intelligent as his mistress, using tricks to get Bruno in trouble and is able to trap Gus twice with a tea cup while fending off the others attempts to help save the poor mouse.
I think the only thing that really hampers this film, for me personally, is spending a bit too much time with the mice and not quite enough with our main hero and her relationship with them, or perhaps more scenes of Cinderella with the Stepsisters and Stepmother.
4 1/2 /5
Cinderella is one of those films where the plot is so simple and rather short that it makes it hard to really flesh things out a bit. Disney decided to pad out the runtime a bit more by giving us quite an excess of scenes revolving around Cinderella's animal friends as they gather breakfast and do their best to avoid Lucifur, the fat and rather pompous cat of the household. While their antics with Lucifur can be entertaining, it would have been nice to perhaps see more of their relationship with Cinderella instead. To also add to the runtime of the film, we get a couple of scenes with the Duke and the King which are also rather comical and help further the plot a bit more than the mice's scenes do. Despite all of this, the film does seem to go at it's own, slower pace and doesn't try to rush through things at all. One small thing that I actually noticed this time around is that the film takes place largely over the course of only one day, and the following morning, and for some reason I had never really noticed this.
The animation in Cinderella certainly does mark a change in the Disney canon. On the one hand, it is a step up from the War Years shorts, yet it's not quite on the same level as films from later on in the decade such as Sleeping Beauty. The backgrounds are rather simplistic, though not to the same degree as Charlie Brown shorts, yet are still rather nice to look at. The scenes at the ball when Cinderella and the Prince are dancing are among the most visually interesting parts, and the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo song is also visually fun to watch all of the transformations occurring.
The songs come to us in two different manners. The Work Song, sung by the mice is rather infectious and quite bouncy, as if the previously mentioned Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo. Both of the songs are quite fun and certainly stand out. The other way the songs are presented to us is almost in a much more solemn manner in the form of Sing Sweet Nightengale, and A Dream Is A Wish. These two songs, and the song So This Is Love, are much slower yet are still fully enjoyable to listen to both in the film and on their own.
As for the characters, all of them are rather fun to watch even if the mice do tend to hog the spotlight a bit. Lady Tremaine, or the Evil Stepmother as she's sometimes better known as, is one of Disney's better villains and has a really eerie realness to her. You could see this woman actually existing in our world and is very dangerous in how she uses emotional manipulation to get things done instead of relying on physical force or magical means. Cinderella is quite enjoyable and has a very innocent quality to her without making her younger as a result of it. She does have her one moment where she actually does mock the Stepsisters musical ability and this keeps her from being Too Nice. The mice and Lucifur are quite fun, and I especially enjoy the latter as he's shown to be just as intelligent as his mistress, using tricks to get Bruno in trouble and is able to trap Gus twice with a tea cup while fending off the others attempts to help save the poor mouse.
I think the only thing that really hampers this film, for me personally, is spending a bit too much time with the mice and not quite enough with our main hero and her relationship with them, or perhaps more scenes of Cinderella with the Stepsisters and Stepmother.
4 1/2 /5
Alice in Wonderland (Animated)
Total acid-trip. That is generally what most audiences take away from this film, that they had just watched something that can only be described as an acid-trip. Who can blame them? Alice in Wonderland is full of crazy characters and events that never really relent until the film finally ends.
The one main thing that makes Alice in Wonderland a bit of an iffy film is the lack of coherent plot. Our main character simply wanders along from each new character and place to the next with little rhyme or reason outside of chasing the White Rabbit. Of course, given what we learn at the end of the film, this seems perfectly natural as well since quite often our dreams don't make a lot of sense. It's a minor flaw that some people are able to look past, while it can hamper other peoples enjoyment. I tend to be more of the former since I'm enjoying what's going on so much that it doesn't slow things down for me. The largest flaw for the plot is during the Tulgey Woods scene in which all of the zany characters don't speak and Alice only then realizes she needs to find her way home. The entire scene drags on a little bit and it would have been nicer if Alice had been chasing the White Rabbit to find out how to get home in the first place.
One thing that really sets Alice in Wonderland apart is the wide variety of colourful and quirky characters that we get to meet. While Alice herself can be a bit more plain compared to the other characters, she still interacts really well with everyone in Wonderland which keeps her from being boring. This film boasts a fair number of characters and they have such a wide range of personalities from the timid King of Hearts, the volatile Queen of Hearts, the stressed out White Rabbit, to the completely insane Mad Hatter and March Hare, the latter two performing one of the most memorable songs from the film.
While the Unbirthday Song is the most memorable, all of the other songs still hold up really well on their own. A fair number of them also blend well with spoken dialogue which can be rather hard to do in musicals. The songs are all helped with the visual eye candy that Alice in Wonderland provides, all of the characters are vibrant and give the film a very nice burst of colour. The result is some very entertaining animation as a whole.
While Alice in Wonderland may have some plot troubles, it still holds up as a really enjoyable film even if it may not be everyone's cup of tea.
4/5
The one main thing that makes Alice in Wonderland a bit of an iffy film is the lack of coherent plot. Our main character simply wanders along from each new character and place to the next with little rhyme or reason outside of chasing the White Rabbit. Of course, given what we learn at the end of the film, this seems perfectly natural as well since quite often our dreams don't make a lot of sense. It's a minor flaw that some people are able to look past, while it can hamper other peoples enjoyment. I tend to be more of the former since I'm enjoying what's going on so much that it doesn't slow things down for me. The largest flaw for the plot is during the Tulgey Woods scene in which all of the zany characters don't speak and Alice only then realizes she needs to find her way home. The entire scene drags on a little bit and it would have been nicer if Alice had been chasing the White Rabbit to find out how to get home in the first place.
One thing that really sets Alice in Wonderland apart is the wide variety of colourful and quirky characters that we get to meet. While Alice herself can be a bit more plain compared to the other characters, she still interacts really well with everyone in Wonderland which keeps her from being boring. This film boasts a fair number of characters and they have such a wide range of personalities from the timid King of Hearts, the volatile Queen of Hearts, the stressed out White Rabbit, to the completely insane Mad Hatter and March Hare, the latter two performing one of the most memorable songs from the film.
While the Unbirthday Song is the most memorable, all of the other songs still hold up really well on their own. A fair number of them also blend well with spoken dialogue which can be rather hard to do in musicals. The songs are all helped with the visual eye candy that Alice in Wonderland provides, all of the characters are vibrant and give the film a very nice burst of colour. The result is some very entertaining animation as a whole.
While Alice in Wonderland may have some plot troubles, it still holds up as a really enjoyable film even if it may not be everyone's cup of tea.
4/5
Monday, June 25, 2012
Peter Pan
The 1950's era was certainly one where I was unable to really have access to the films. Yet again we find a film where I only had very rare glimpses of it, very rarely getting to see the full film and more often than not would see clips through other sources.
Peter Pan is perhaps one of the most magical films out of this era, and the plot is certainly what helps with this feeling. While Peter Pan does have a very similar feeling to Alice in Wonderland in terms of meeting the worlds inhabitants through one encounter after another, Peter Pan links it all together in a much more cohesive way with a story about revenge. This gives the film a larger sense of plot and makes it feel less episodic than Alice does which is a perk. The plot itself is fairly simple, Captain Hook wants revenge on Peter Pan, while our hero shows Wendy, John, and Michael around Neverland.
Neverland is perhaps one of the most interesting places we get to explore, it provides numerous locations and inhabitants for us to meet and each area feels unique enough to stand out, yet none of it really feels out of place. All of the animation is quite well done, and during the 1950's period it felt as if the animation only got better as time went on.
In terms of characters we do get a slightly mixed bag. Disney really went for a much more comical villain with Captain Hook, who most likely paved the way for Mad Madame Mim, and is one of the most enjoyable villains we get out of the canon. Our four main heroes are a lot of fun to watch as they embark upon their adventures in Neverland, and while Peter is flawed this is quite normal given how he has never grown up so it would be quite odd to expect him to act more like the heroes of other films, or in more adult manners. We do get a couple sour points where a lot of the female characters seem to be played a bit too much in the jealousy department, while we also get some offensive characters out of the Indian camp. For the latter, while it may not be PC today, we do need to keep in mind this film was made during a much different time and with a different mindset. While it does not excuse things, it's just easier to keep a more open mind about this as you go into the film itself.
As far as music goes, the most famous of the songs is "You Can Fly, You Can Fly, You Can Fly!" and is one of the more memorable songs. With that said, the rest of the songs are quite enjoyable and are fairly bouncy for the most part. The only song that is rather iffy is, of course, the song sung at the Indian camp for obvious reasons.
4/5
Peter Pan is perhaps one of the most magical films out of this era, and the plot is certainly what helps with this feeling. While Peter Pan does have a very similar feeling to Alice in Wonderland in terms of meeting the worlds inhabitants through one encounter after another, Peter Pan links it all together in a much more cohesive way with a story about revenge. This gives the film a larger sense of plot and makes it feel less episodic than Alice does which is a perk. The plot itself is fairly simple, Captain Hook wants revenge on Peter Pan, while our hero shows Wendy, John, and Michael around Neverland.
Neverland is perhaps one of the most interesting places we get to explore, it provides numerous locations and inhabitants for us to meet and each area feels unique enough to stand out, yet none of it really feels out of place. All of the animation is quite well done, and during the 1950's period it felt as if the animation only got better as time went on.
In terms of characters we do get a slightly mixed bag. Disney really went for a much more comical villain with Captain Hook, who most likely paved the way for Mad Madame Mim, and is one of the most enjoyable villains we get out of the canon. Our four main heroes are a lot of fun to watch as they embark upon their adventures in Neverland, and while Peter is flawed this is quite normal given how he has never grown up so it would be quite odd to expect him to act more like the heroes of other films, or in more adult manners. We do get a couple sour points where a lot of the female characters seem to be played a bit too much in the jealousy department, while we also get some offensive characters out of the Indian camp. For the latter, while it may not be PC today, we do need to keep in mind this film was made during a much different time and with a different mindset. While it does not excuse things, it's just easier to keep a more open mind about this as you go into the film itself.
As far as music goes, the most famous of the songs is "You Can Fly, You Can Fly, You Can Fly!" and is one of the more memorable songs. With that said, the rest of the songs are quite enjoyable and are fairly bouncy for the most part. The only song that is rather iffy is, of course, the song sung at the Indian camp for obvious reasons.
4/5
Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping MacGuffin, er, Beauty.....is one of two Disney films in which I was fortunate enough to have taped off of the t.v back when Disney was cool and would do big specials for their canon films complete with extra cartoon shorts and the like. For the longest time, this vhs was the only way for me to watch Sleeping Beauty and now I am able to watch it quite easily on my dvd copy. Though I do still have that original vhs, after all it does have Fieval Goes West on it too!
To get the huge plus out of the way, the animation here is at Disney's peak for the 1950's era if not at it's best until the early 90's films. All around this film is beautiful to look at, looking like a intricate tapestry. The characters do pop out ever so slightly but not distractingly so, and all of them are so well animated that it doesn't hurt the film very much, if at all. The opening scene is one of parts that I remember best as a kid, watching all of the interesting knights in armor riding about on their horses, as well as the visual scenes that accompany each of the three fairies gifts to Aurora.
Oh the three fairies. How they do seem to carry the film, if not overshadow the main leads. The character department is where Sleeping Beauty really seems to stumble a bit. On one hand we get some really great and enjoyable characters out of the three fairies as they try to survive without magic and guide our main leads to their happily ever after. On the more villainous side, we get Maleficent who is one of Disney's most memorable villains and is a personal favourite especially as she takes on her dragon form at the finale after throwing everything she has at Prince Phillip. Some people have stated their dislike for our prince, and yet out of Disney's original three he is given the most to actually do. Instead of simply disappearing after singing with Aurora in the woods, he sticks around to have a few more scenes with the other characters, escapes from the dungeon with a lot of help and finally slays Maleficent before awakening Aurora. Quite a bit more than our previous two Prince Charming's. Our leading lady however is where things really stumble. Aurora is not much more than a macguffin and doesn't really do a whole lot in her film, and yet after having a good cry and a nap is handed everything she could possibly want. Despite having an Ariel-type happy ending, she was at least more tolerable than our mermaid heroine.
Surprisingly, for a Princess film, Sleeping Beauty doesn't really have a lot to offer in the music department. "Once Upon A Dream" is the one big song that really stands out in peoples minds, while "I Wonder" does have it's own good qualities but lacks that extra bit to really make it stand out more. Aside from these two songs, we have our opening song which is fun, but more so visually than lyrically.
Ultimately, Sleeping Beauty is really pretty to look at but the ever so helpful fairies do drag things down a bit as they overshadow our main leads.
4/5
To get the huge plus out of the way, the animation here is at Disney's peak for the 1950's era if not at it's best until the early 90's films. All around this film is beautiful to look at, looking like a intricate tapestry. The characters do pop out ever so slightly but not distractingly so, and all of them are so well animated that it doesn't hurt the film very much, if at all. The opening scene is one of parts that I remember best as a kid, watching all of the interesting knights in armor riding about on their horses, as well as the visual scenes that accompany each of the three fairies gifts to Aurora.
Oh the three fairies. How they do seem to carry the film, if not overshadow the main leads. The character department is where Sleeping Beauty really seems to stumble a bit. On one hand we get some really great and enjoyable characters out of the three fairies as they try to survive without magic and guide our main leads to their happily ever after. On the more villainous side, we get Maleficent who is one of Disney's most memorable villains and is a personal favourite especially as she takes on her dragon form at the finale after throwing everything she has at Prince Phillip. Some people have stated their dislike for our prince, and yet out of Disney's original three he is given the most to actually do. Instead of simply disappearing after singing with Aurora in the woods, he sticks around to have a few more scenes with the other characters, escapes from the dungeon with a lot of help and finally slays Maleficent before awakening Aurora. Quite a bit more than our previous two Prince Charming's. Our leading lady however is where things really stumble. Aurora is not much more than a macguffin and doesn't really do a whole lot in her film, and yet after having a good cry and a nap is handed everything she could possibly want. Despite having an Ariel-type happy ending, she was at least more tolerable than our mermaid heroine.
Surprisingly, for a Princess film, Sleeping Beauty doesn't really have a lot to offer in the music department. "Once Upon A Dream" is the one big song that really stands out in peoples minds, while "I Wonder" does have it's own good qualities but lacks that extra bit to really make it stand out more. Aside from these two songs, we have our opening song which is fun, but more so visually than lyrically.
Ultimately, Sleeping Beauty is really pretty to look at but the ever so helpful fairies do drag things down a bit as they overshadow our main leads.
4/5
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Top 5 Heroines and Top 5 Heroes 1989-1999
Ok, our last countdown for the 1989-1999 period. Both of these lists can actually be rounded out to the Top 10's technically, but since that's just listing the 10 males and females from each film... I see little point really. Anyway, let's get on with the lists!
Top 5 Heroines:
5) Jane (Tarzan)
4) Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
3) Meg (Hercules)
2) Esemeralda (Hunchback of Notre Dame)
1) Mulan (Mulan)
Top 5 Heroes:
5) Shang (Mulan)
4) Phoebus (Hunchback of Notre Dame)
3) Hercules (Hercules)
2) Aladdin (Aladdin)
1) Beast (Beauty and the Beast)
Top 5 Heroines:
5) Jane (Tarzan)
4) Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
3) Meg (Hercules)
2) Esemeralda (Hunchback of Notre Dame)
1) Mulan (Mulan)
Top 5 Heroes:
5) Shang (Mulan)
4) Phoebus (Hunchback of Notre Dame)
3) Hercules (Hercules)
2) Aladdin (Aladdin)
1) Beast (Beauty and the Beast)
Lady and the Tramp
Much like 101 Dalmatians, Lady and the Tramp was one of those 'rare' and elusive films from the Disney canon while I was growing up. Having had little exposure to it in the past, I don't really feel the same nostalgic connection with it as I do other films.
Lady and the Tramp is almost an oddity in the canon. Sure it has talking dogs, and a few good songs, but it has a certain.... sophistication to it in comparison to other talking animal films, especially ones made in the last few years, and almost comes across as a much more mature entry into the canon. This more mature feel to the film, and the older American setting really make this film stand out in a good way. The story itself is fairly straightforward as our hero, Lady, interacts with her world and experiences changes that come with a baby while also exploring how other dogs live. Things have a very laid back pace to it, there isn't a constant need for action or characters bursting into big performances every so often. While this suits the more sophisticated feel, it also makes it a little bit harder to really stay focused with such a calmer flow to the things that unfold, and the parts that have action seem to come at just the right moments.
The music isn't really a strong point for Lady and the Tramp, the majority of the song lyrics were written by Peggy Lee, who also voiced four of the characters, and aside from two songs they won't really stick around in your head for days on end. The strongest point is Bella Notte, of course, which is also one of highlights of the film itself. While "He's a Tramp" is the second of the more memorable songs, growing up I did have the "We Are Siamese" song on a vhs of Sing Alongs so, for myself, this song was actually more memorable than the former.
The films strongest point, ultimately, would be the characters themselves. Jock and Trusty are fun, without being overbearing, and when she's around Peg is also quite enjoyable as well to watch. For our human characters we get Jim Dear and Darling who play more of supporting roles are quite comforting to Lady, as are Tony and Joe the friendly Italian restaurant owners who feed Lady and Tramp their famous plate of spaghetti. Rounding out the humans is Aunt Sarah who enables most of the minor conflict in the film's second half. Since they are our main characters, both Lady and Tramp are given the most personality and make for a very likeable pair both on their own and when they are on-screen together.
With some really great animation, and strong characters Lady and the Tramp is still a fairly enjoyable entry into the Disney canon even if the pace isn't quite as brisk as what we seem to get these days from films.
4/5
Lady and the Tramp is almost an oddity in the canon. Sure it has talking dogs, and a few good songs, but it has a certain.... sophistication to it in comparison to other talking animal films, especially ones made in the last few years, and almost comes across as a much more mature entry into the canon. This more mature feel to the film, and the older American setting really make this film stand out in a good way. The story itself is fairly straightforward as our hero, Lady, interacts with her world and experiences changes that come with a baby while also exploring how other dogs live. Things have a very laid back pace to it, there isn't a constant need for action or characters bursting into big performances every so often. While this suits the more sophisticated feel, it also makes it a little bit harder to really stay focused with such a calmer flow to the things that unfold, and the parts that have action seem to come at just the right moments.
The music isn't really a strong point for Lady and the Tramp, the majority of the song lyrics were written by Peggy Lee, who also voiced four of the characters, and aside from two songs they won't really stick around in your head for days on end. The strongest point is Bella Notte, of course, which is also one of highlights of the film itself. While "He's a Tramp" is the second of the more memorable songs, growing up I did have the "We Are Siamese" song on a vhs of Sing Alongs so, for myself, this song was actually more memorable than the former.
The films strongest point, ultimately, would be the characters themselves. Jock and Trusty are fun, without being overbearing, and when she's around Peg is also quite enjoyable as well to watch. For our human characters we get Jim Dear and Darling who play more of supporting roles are quite comforting to Lady, as are Tony and Joe the friendly Italian restaurant owners who feed Lady and Tramp their famous plate of spaghetti. Rounding out the humans is Aunt Sarah who enables most of the minor conflict in the film's second half. Since they are our main characters, both Lady and Tramp are given the most personality and make for a very likeable pair both on their own and when they are on-screen together.
With some really great animation, and strong characters Lady and the Tramp is still a fairly enjoyable entry into the Disney canon even if the pace isn't quite as brisk as what we seem to get these days from films.
4/5
Friday, June 22, 2012
Top 5 Songs and Top 5 Villains 1989 - 1999
Both of these lists are quite hard to really put together. While we were provided with ten villains, I felt that I should whittle the list down a bit to the five that I felt were really the best of the lot. As for the songs, this list was so much harder to do because there were just so many amazing songs to pick from.
Top 5 Songs
5) Out There (Hunchback of Notre Dame)
4) Reflection (Mulan)
3) Won't Say (I'm In Love) (Hercules)
2) A Whole New World (Aladdin)
1) Poor Unfortunate Souls (Little Mermaid)
Top 5 Villains:
5) Gaston (Beauty and the Beast)
4) Jafar (Aladdin)
3) Shan-Yu (Mulan)
2) Frollo (Huncback of Notre Dame)
1) Ursula (Little Mermaid)
Top 5 Songs
5) Out There (Hunchback of Notre Dame)
4) Reflection (Mulan)
3) Won't Say (I'm In Love) (Hercules)
2) A Whole New World (Aladdin)
1) Poor Unfortunate Souls (Little Mermaid)
Top 5 Villains:
5) Gaston (Beauty and the Beast)
4) Jafar (Aladdin)
3) Shan-Yu (Mulan)
2) Frollo (Huncback of Notre Dame)
1) Ursula (Little Mermaid)
101 Dalmatians
101 Dalmatians is one of those rare Disney films that I never really got a chance to grow up with. Viewings of this film were very fleeting, if at all. So of course upon buying a cheap vhs copy, and later the dvd, I eagerly set out to make up for lost time and soaked in this 'rare' film. But did I enjoy it?
Of course!
One of the main things that I had always remembered about this film was Cruella De Vil, and who could honestly forget her? This villainess is an awesome antagonist and one of Disney's best for sure. On the protagonist side of things we get the dalmatian couple Pongo, and Perdita who are willing to do anything it takes to find and rescue their stolen puppies. While these three are our main characters, there is a large cast of other 'main' characters and a supporting cast who all show up for a long enough period to move the story along without slowing things down at all.
101 Dalmatians is one of those Disney films where we don't really get a whole lot in the way of music. The main stand out song, and the one people generally seem to remember the most is 'Cruella De Vil' while we also hear a very brief song at the end called 'Dalmatian Plantation.'
Our story is pretty straight forward, and adapted from the novel of the same name by Dodie Smith. Taking up the most time, watching our heroes escaping from Cruella's manor would almost seem like it could drag on and yet it never does. We manage to watch the parents pull together their vastly expanded brood of puppies and take them on their perilous journey back to London to be reunited with their owners, all while keeping the film enjoyable.
The animation here is quite well done, even if it may not be as well advanced as the films of the 90's, or even have the same intricate detail as films before it such as Sleeping Beauty. Despite this, the film is still really nice to look at and has a very well chosen colour palette to go with it. Our opening is one of the most visually interesting and keeps the credits from being boring to watch.
I think ultimately that while the film can be enjoyable, it doesn't really present that same 'Wow' factor as the other classic films during Walt's era and yet it still does retain a 'classic' feeling at the very least.
4/5
Of course!
One of the main things that I had always remembered about this film was Cruella De Vil, and who could honestly forget her? This villainess is an awesome antagonist and one of Disney's best for sure. On the protagonist side of things we get the dalmatian couple Pongo, and Perdita who are willing to do anything it takes to find and rescue their stolen puppies. While these three are our main characters, there is a large cast of other 'main' characters and a supporting cast who all show up for a long enough period to move the story along without slowing things down at all.
101 Dalmatians is one of those Disney films where we don't really get a whole lot in the way of music. The main stand out song, and the one people generally seem to remember the most is 'Cruella De Vil' while we also hear a very brief song at the end called 'Dalmatian Plantation.'
Our story is pretty straight forward, and adapted from the novel of the same name by Dodie Smith. Taking up the most time, watching our heroes escaping from Cruella's manor would almost seem like it could drag on and yet it never does. We manage to watch the parents pull together their vastly expanded brood of puppies and take them on their perilous journey back to London to be reunited with their owners, all while keeping the film enjoyable.
The animation here is quite well done, even if it may not be as well advanced as the films of the 90's, or even have the same intricate detail as films before it such as Sleeping Beauty. Despite this, the film is still really nice to look at and has a very well chosen colour palette to go with it. Our opening is one of the most visually interesting and keeps the credits from being boring to watch.
I think ultimately that while the film can be enjoyable, it doesn't really present that same 'Wow' factor as the other classic films during Walt's era and yet it still does retain a 'classic' feeling at the very least.
4/5
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Top 5 Sidekicks and Top 5 Henchmen 1989-1999
A day or so late in starting, this will be the first of three posts outlining my top favourites for the 1989-1999 time period. Initially I wavered on if I wanted to keep things at a Top 5, or if I was going to go for a Top 10 for the sidekicks. Since there were not enough villainous henchmen to really fill a Top 10 I decided to keep the post at 5 only. With all that aside, here are the lists.
Top 5 Sidekicks:
5) Zazu (Lion King)
4) Pegasus (Hercules)
3) Genie (Aladdin)
2) Mrs. Potts (Beauty and the Beast)
1) Cogsworth and Lumiere (Beauty and the Beast)
Top 5 Henchmen:
5) Flotsam and Jetsam (The Little Mermaid)
4) Pain and Panic (Hercules)
3) Lefou (Beauty and the Beast)
2) Joanna (Rescuers Down Under)
1) Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed (Lion King)
Top 5 Sidekicks:
5) Zazu (Lion King)
4) Pegasus (Hercules)
3) Genie (Aladdin)
2) Mrs. Potts (Beauty and the Beast)
1) Cogsworth and Lumiere (Beauty and the Beast)
Top 5 Henchmen:
5) Flotsam and Jetsam (The Little Mermaid)
4) Pain and Panic (Hercules)
3) Lefou (Beauty and the Beast)
2) Joanna (Rescuers Down Under)
1) Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed (Lion King)
Sword in the Stone
Coming near the end of Disney's second high-point era, Sword in the Stone is one of the less memorable films when compared to the more big name ones such as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan. With that said, despite not being quite as memorable, and fairly obscure, I still grew up with this film and it was one that I remember enjoying.
The main flaw that I have with this film is simply how badly the story is handled. While having an episodic film is certainly nothing new by this point in the Disney canon, it simply feels like things don't quite flow as smoothly from sequence to sequence. With this said, each sequence is actually fairly enjoyable and the most memorable sequence would be that of our hero, Wart, meeting Mad Madame Mim and the ensuing wizards duel. We don't really get a lot of time to learn much about Wart's current situation or have his relationship with his foster father extrapolated upon. Would this improve the film? Well.... maybe...Given how this film is a bit short, an extra ten minutes would certainly have helped in smoothing out the story problems.
Despite a clunky story, this film is heavily driven by the characters. Our hero Wart is rather innocent, though not fully entertaining like the others. The strongest characters here are Merlin, Archimedes, and Madame Mim. Each of these three really bring their own unique strengths, with Merlin he is so much fun to watch and quite delightful. Archimedes is also quite fun to watch and brings a more sarcastic side to play off of Merlin. Then we have Madame Mim who is easily one of Disney's most fun and enjoyable villains, quite an oddity given how villains are more scary than anything else. There is something simply enjoyable in just how crazy Mim comes across and is evil just for the sake of being evil. One of the lesser characters in this film that I have an odd soft spot for is the wolf who tries his best to eat Wart, when our hero is making his way to and from Merlin's home, and once again near the middle when Wart is transformed into a squirrel. The poor wolf just can't catch a break.
Normally this is where I would comment on the music, and yet Sword in the Stone isn't very memorable when it comes to the music. Most of the songs are quite forgettable and perhaps the only one that really stands out is Higitus Figitus even if it's a tad short. Despite not being very memorable, most of the songs still work well enough within in the film itself.
Even with nostalgia working in this films favour, it's still hard to overlook the flaws that Sword in the Stone has, and yet still manages to come out as being a rather decent entry into the canon.
3/5
The main flaw that I have with this film is simply how badly the story is handled. While having an episodic film is certainly nothing new by this point in the Disney canon, it simply feels like things don't quite flow as smoothly from sequence to sequence. With this said, each sequence is actually fairly enjoyable and the most memorable sequence would be that of our hero, Wart, meeting Mad Madame Mim and the ensuing wizards duel. We don't really get a lot of time to learn much about Wart's current situation or have his relationship with his foster father extrapolated upon. Would this improve the film? Well.... maybe...Given how this film is a bit short, an extra ten minutes would certainly have helped in smoothing out the story problems.
Despite a clunky story, this film is heavily driven by the characters. Our hero Wart is rather innocent, though not fully entertaining like the others. The strongest characters here are Merlin, Archimedes, and Madame Mim. Each of these three really bring their own unique strengths, with Merlin he is so much fun to watch and quite delightful. Archimedes is also quite fun to watch and brings a more sarcastic side to play off of Merlin. Then we have Madame Mim who is easily one of Disney's most fun and enjoyable villains, quite an oddity given how villains are more scary than anything else. There is something simply enjoyable in just how crazy Mim comes across and is evil just for the sake of being evil. One of the lesser characters in this film that I have an odd soft spot for is the wolf who tries his best to eat Wart, when our hero is making his way to and from Merlin's home, and once again near the middle when Wart is transformed into a squirrel. The poor wolf just can't catch a break.
Normally this is where I would comment on the music, and yet Sword in the Stone isn't very memorable when it comes to the music. Most of the songs are quite forgettable and perhaps the only one that really stands out is Higitus Figitus even if it's a tad short. Despite not being very memorable, most of the songs still work well enough within in the film itself.
Even with nostalgia working in this films favour, it's still hard to overlook the flaws that Sword in the Stone has, and yet still manages to come out as being a rather decent entry into the canon.
3/5
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Jungle Book
Ok. With the 1990's now behind us, jumping back to the late 1960's makes for an almost jarring experience. This is not to say that this a bad jarring, there is just a much more notable change in how the films come across to me. It just makes for a slight adjustment on my part.
While normally I would praise a strong opening, with the Jungle Book we get a much more slow, meandering opening primarily as we see the credits over some very pretty backgrounds. During our opening we do eventually meet Bagheera, the panther, and our young hero Mowgli the man-cub who is taken to be raised by a pack of wolves while he is a baby.
The rest of the film that follows very much feels like a tamer, more jungle themed version of Alice in Wonderland. It has a very episodic feeling as we get our opening, we meet the elephant herd twice, Kaa the python visits twice, we get introduced to Baloo, Mowgli is kidnapped by the crazed monkey group and their leader King Louie, and we get our final showdown with Shere Khan who gets a few scenes of his own. Oh and the vultures!
While this sounds like quite a lot and comes across as lacking a good, proper story structure this more episodic manner does allow us to meet a wide variety of awesome characters. The most interesting thing about these characters is that they are quite often in the shady grey region instead of simply being clear cut villains or heroes, Shere Khan and to a lesser extent Kaa. Initially sounding like a shady grey character himself is Bagheera who eventually begins to act more and more like a surrogate father to Mowgli, causing him and his idea of what's best for the boy to clash with that of the more laid back Baloo.
During most of his encounters, Mowgli gets to interact with all of the animals generally through song and more often than not, a sense of danger as well. The songs are quite enjoyable, and as a child I very much enjoyed playing the elephants song over, and over, and over, and over, and over again just for good measure. Yet for the life of me I barely remember the words now despite having only watched this last night. Alas.
4/5
While normally I would praise a strong opening, with the Jungle Book we get a much more slow, meandering opening primarily as we see the credits over some very pretty backgrounds. During our opening we do eventually meet Bagheera, the panther, and our young hero Mowgli the man-cub who is taken to be raised by a pack of wolves while he is a baby.
The rest of the film that follows very much feels like a tamer, more jungle themed version of Alice in Wonderland. It has a very episodic feeling as we get our opening, we meet the elephant herd twice, Kaa the python visits twice, we get introduced to Baloo, Mowgli is kidnapped by the crazed monkey group and their leader King Louie, and we get our final showdown with Shere Khan who gets a few scenes of his own. Oh and the vultures!
While this sounds like quite a lot and comes across as lacking a good, proper story structure this more episodic manner does allow us to meet a wide variety of awesome characters. The most interesting thing about these characters is that they are quite often in the shady grey region instead of simply being clear cut villains or heroes, Shere Khan and to a lesser extent Kaa. Initially sounding like a shady grey character himself is Bagheera who eventually begins to act more and more like a surrogate father to Mowgli, causing him and his idea of what's best for the boy to clash with that of the more laid back Baloo.
During most of his encounters, Mowgli gets to interact with all of the animals generally through song and more often than not, a sense of danger as well. The songs are quite enjoyable, and as a child I very much enjoyed playing the elephants song over, and over, and over, and over, and over again just for good measure. Yet for the life of me I barely remember the words now despite having only watched this last night. Alas.
4/5
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Beauty and the Beast
Once more we reach a Disney film that holds a special place in my heart. Much like Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast is one of those films that I remember watching again and again with my family. Having grown up with it, this film has always been a favourite and it's easy for me to see why this film nearly won an Oscar award for Best Picture. So what is it about this film that just works so well? In short, everything.
Starting with the music there is not a single dud in this film. All of the songs are fully enjoyable, catchy and manage to entertain - especially the show-stopper feeling Be Our Guest. For once I'm even going to stop and mention how even the score is really quite beautiful and works so well with the rest of the film. One thing that is rather rare in the Disney films is that we get two songs from our villain for a change, the ego charged 'Gaston' and later on we get the 'Mob Song' as the mob advances upon the castle and our heroes.
On the topic of villains, Gaston is one villain where he really seems to start out much more in the shady grey area. While he does have all the obvious signs of being a villain, all he really wants initially is to marry Belle for reasons motivated by vanity. When his pride gets in the way of multiple rejections, this is when he shifts more and more into the villainous role. What works really well about this, is that initially Beast starts out more like the villain as he locks Maurice away in the tower before finally agreeing to let Belle be his prisoner. He starts off much more hostile before he very gradually warms up and takes his time to evolve into our hero. Leading the film is our heroine, Belle, who doesn't really want or expect to be a princess and for the entire film simply wishes to have adventures and wants more than what her small town can provide. This is certainly something anyone from a small town can relate to quite easily which cements Belle as being more likeable. Rounding out our cast is a large group of transformed servants who are all enjoyable and play off of, not only each other, but off of our heroes really well.
So. Onto the animation. This film is simply gorgeous to watch. Beast alone is a really well done amalgamation of various animals that looks and feels natural instead of simply looking silly, which was a very real possibility upon seeing early concept art. The ballroom scene during the song 'Beauty and the Beast' is quite beautiful and makes really good use of camera movements and angles, all while looking amazing. Aside from these two points, the last for animation I want to point out is simply the sheer level of detail put into this film. There is so much to look at, especially during scenes when we are travelling down the hallways. Countless horrific statues are on display, twisted from their original forms, and it would take multiple viewings just to take in all of the details put into this film.
Given how one reviewer once said that this film is as close perfection as possible, I would be quite inclined to agree.
5/5
Starting with the music there is not a single dud in this film. All of the songs are fully enjoyable, catchy and manage to entertain - especially the show-stopper feeling Be Our Guest. For once I'm even going to stop and mention how even the score is really quite beautiful and works so well with the rest of the film. One thing that is rather rare in the Disney films is that we get two songs from our villain for a change, the ego charged 'Gaston' and later on we get the 'Mob Song' as the mob advances upon the castle and our heroes.
On the topic of villains, Gaston is one villain where he really seems to start out much more in the shady grey area. While he does have all the obvious signs of being a villain, all he really wants initially is to marry Belle for reasons motivated by vanity. When his pride gets in the way of multiple rejections, this is when he shifts more and more into the villainous role. What works really well about this, is that initially Beast starts out more like the villain as he locks Maurice away in the tower before finally agreeing to let Belle be his prisoner. He starts off much more hostile before he very gradually warms up and takes his time to evolve into our hero. Leading the film is our heroine, Belle, who doesn't really want or expect to be a princess and for the entire film simply wishes to have adventures and wants more than what her small town can provide. This is certainly something anyone from a small town can relate to quite easily which cements Belle as being more likeable. Rounding out our cast is a large group of transformed servants who are all enjoyable and play off of, not only each other, but off of our heroes really well.
So. Onto the animation. This film is simply gorgeous to watch. Beast alone is a really well done amalgamation of various animals that looks and feels natural instead of simply looking silly, which was a very real possibility upon seeing early concept art. The ballroom scene during the song 'Beauty and the Beast' is quite beautiful and makes really good use of camera movements and angles, all while looking amazing. Aside from these two points, the last for animation I want to point out is simply the sheer level of detail put into this film. There is so much to look at, especially during scenes when we are travelling down the hallways. Countless horrific statues are on display, twisted from their original forms, and it would take multiple viewings just to take in all of the details put into this film.
Given how one reviewer once said that this film is as close perfection as possible, I would be quite inclined to agree.
5/5
Aladdin
Coming near the end of a five year span of great animated films, Aladdin manages to be quite a force in the Disney canon as a highly energetic and entertaining film. Having grown up during the 90's, it is easily one of the Disney films that I really enjoyed the most as a kid and would constantly watch it again and again.
One of the biggest perks Aladdin has is that the film has very likeable and identifiable characters, especially in the form of Aladdin himself. Our main hero manages to come across as quite charming and self-assured while still having his own flaws as he yearns to be more than just a 'street rat.' For Jasmine, we find a princess who is fed up with the pampered lifestyle available to her and, in a similar manner to Aladdin, yearns to be more than who she is. This common element is what really helps bring the two together in a more believable fashion instead of simply falling in love at first sight and never talking to each other about their lives. We receive a great villain in the form of Jafar, a royal advisor who is willing to do anything it takes for power even if it means forcing the Princess to marry him. Of course, no review would be complete without mentioning the Genie. Robin William's is a very powerful driving force behind this character and not only manages to make his scenes hilarious, but also brings warmth and heart to the character when the scene calls for it. All of our sidekicks are surprisingly entertaining and none feel like they're out of place or as if they are trying too hard to be funny.
Given the time span between Aladdin and the Little Mermaid, the animation has only improved to levels that at the very least manage to fall just a short step below that of the Lion King. The backgrounds are stunning, aided by the camera movements which give a slight live-action feel to things, and we almost move fully away from a more cartoon feeling to the animation. For it's time, the CGI works really well and is implemented in a way that works without it being jarring even if the CGI is considered vastly out of date by today's standards. This however is not a fault that will seriously hurt the film since it was limited by the technology available instead of simply being sub-par due to oversight or sheer laziness.
All of the songs in this film are enjoyable, and certainly memorable. One thing to note is that the opening song has had lyrics modified due to controversy in the past, but most people may never notice if they don't hear about it from more passionate Disney fans.
Ultimately, despite looking like a period piece Aladdin is more of a 1990's American pop culture film with it's contemporary and fast paced references. Not only does this film give small references to other Disney films before it, we also get a ton of pop culture references through the genie some of which include Jack Nicholson and Arsenio Hall impressions. If the film has any real flaw, it would simply be that these references will slightly date the film. In the end, however, this is a very minor flaw and is certainly one that can be overlooked by anyone who has grown up with this film.
4 1/2/5
One of the biggest perks Aladdin has is that the film has very likeable and identifiable characters, especially in the form of Aladdin himself. Our main hero manages to come across as quite charming and self-assured while still having his own flaws as he yearns to be more than just a 'street rat.' For Jasmine, we find a princess who is fed up with the pampered lifestyle available to her and, in a similar manner to Aladdin, yearns to be more than who she is. This common element is what really helps bring the two together in a more believable fashion instead of simply falling in love at first sight and never talking to each other about their lives. We receive a great villain in the form of Jafar, a royal advisor who is willing to do anything it takes for power even if it means forcing the Princess to marry him. Of course, no review would be complete without mentioning the Genie. Robin William's is a very powerful driving force behind this character and not only manages to make his scenes hilarious, but also brings warmth and heart to the character when the scene calls for it. All of our sidekicks are surprisingly entertaining and none feel like they're out of place or as if they are trying too hard to be funny.
Given the time span between Aladdin and the Little Mermaid, the animation has only improved to levels that at the very least manage to fall just a short step below that of the Lion King. The backgrounds are stunning, aided by the camera movements which give a slight live-action feel to things, and we almost move fully away from a more cartoon feeling to the animation. For it's time, the CGI works really well and is implemented in a way that works without it being jarring even if the CGI is considered vastly out of date by today's standards. This however is not a fault that will seriously hurt the film since it was limited by the technology available instead of simply being sub-par due to oversight or sheer laziness.
All of the songs in this film are enjoyable, and certainly memorable. One thing to note is that the opening song has had lyrics modified due to controversy in the past, but most people may never notice if they don't hear about it from more passionate Disney fans.
Ultimately, despite looking like a period piece Aladdin is more of a 1990's American pop culture film with it's contemporary and fast paced references. Not only does this film give small references to other Disney films before it, we also get a ton of pop culture references through the genie some of which include Jack Nicholson and Arsenio Hall impressions. If the film has any real flaw, it would simply be that these references will slightly date the film. In the end, however, this is a very minor flaw and is certainly one that can be overlooked by anyone who has grown up with this film.
4 1/2/5
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Lion King
The final film of the 'Fab Four,' the Lion King is often considered the pinnacle of the 1990's films in terms of animation and it is quite easy to see why. This was, and likely still is, one of the biggest and most popular films in Disney's long history, and will quite likely stay that way even years from now.
The film starts off with perhaps one of the best openings out of all the canon films. It gives the sense of a grand scale, which only continues to remain a present feeling all throughout the entire film. Everything feels vast and open, yet not distractingly so.
From start to finish, the Lion King looks simply gorgeous. While I did view this as a Blu-Ray, it is quite possible that the treatment did fudge with the visuals a bit compared to all of the dvd viewings I have done thus far. With that aside it does not change the fact that this is still a really, really well animated film. Every scene looks vibrant and full of life and there was never a moment where I really went "Hmmm...that looks a little off."
Complementing the visuals is a really great set of songs, all of which are well remembered and still quite popular. While it's a bit hard to really pick a stand out song, all of them are still really enjoyable to not only listen to, but to watch as well. The nostalgia in me does lean towards Can't Wait to Be King as my favourite, however the villain lover in me also leans towards Be Prepared.
The characters in this film are quite enjoyable, though I do have a certain duo where I do feel a bit "Ehhh..." about. Starting with the great however is Scar. This is a villain who gets things done. He kills off his rival, secures power for years and is generally sitting pretty even if the Pride Lands have slowly died from his tyrannical rule. Using manipulation to get what he wants, Scar certainly does a good job of things or else he would not have made it as far as he did. Rather fun to watch are his three henchmen Shenzi, Banzai and Ed who seem to represent the hyena community that Scar has taken under his wing. Mufasa is probably most memorable as being the one character that makes children burst into tears thanks to his death scene, and yet is also really wise and powerful. Zazu, Nala, and Rafiiki are all enjoyable in their scenes and provide the right amount of support for Simba. Our main hero is also really fun to watch. While some people don't like his younger form, I found I really enjoyed young Simba quite a bit, and he only became better as his character gained a story arc that developed him further. Theeen we get Timon and Pumbaa. They aren't as bad as I remember, so I will give them that. However I can't really say I fully enjoy them either. Maybe in time and more viewings they can grow on me, but right now I just go "Ehh..."
Also. Obligatory mention of how Lion King is similar/ a supposed rip off of Kimba the White Lion. I honestly don't care. As far as I'm aware more people know of Kimba -because- of the Lion King instead of knowing about Kimba because it's any good or popular. So thus ends the obligatory mention of that.
I think the only thing that really hampers the Lion King for me, Timon and Pumbaa aside, is that the ecosystem in this film is rather odd to the point of being a bit distracting in the end. I understand that Scar and his hyenas have eaten the animals and scared off the rest of the herds. However that is not any reason to cause droughts or massive loss of vegetation. That is more of an apocalyptic/human error and not something a lion is really capable of doing. So there's that. It just makes me scratch my head a bit and wonder "Why?"
4 1/2/ 5
The film starts off with perhaps one of the best openings out of all the canon films. It gives the sense of a grand scale, which only continues to remain a present feeling all throughout the entire film. Everything feels vast and open, yet not distractingly so.
From start to finish, the Lion King looks simply gorgeous. While I did view this as a Blu-Ray, it is quite possible that the treatment did fudge with the visuals a bit compared to all of the dvd viewings I have done thus far. With that aside it does not change the fact that this is still a really, really well animated film. Every scene looks vibrant and full of life and there was never a moment where I really went "Hmmm...that looks a little off."
Complementing the visuals is a really great set of songs, all of which are well remembered and still quite popular. While it's a bit hard to really pick a stand out song, all of them are still really enjoyable to not only listen to, but to watch as well. The nostalgia in me does lean towards Can't Wait to Be King as my favourite, however the villain lover in me also leans towards Be Prepared.
The characters in this film are quite enjoyable, though I do have a certain duo where I do feel a bit "Ehhh..." about. Starting with the great however is Scar. This is a villain who gets things done. He kills off his rival, secures power for years and is generally sitting pretty even if the Pride Lands have slowly died from his tyrannical rule. Using manipulation to get what he wants, Scar certainly does a good job of things or else he would not have made it as far as he did. Rather fun to watch are his three henchmen Shenzi, Banzai and Ed who seem to represent the hyena community that Scar has taken under his wing. Mufasa is probably most memorable as being the one character that makes children burst into tears thanks to his death scene, and yet is also really wise and powerful. Zazu, Nala, and Rafiiki are all enjoyable in their scenes and provide the right amount of support for Simba. Our main hero is also really fun to watch. While some people don't like his younger form, I found I really enjoyed young Simba quite a bit, and he only became better as his character gained a story arc that developed him further. Theeen we get Timon and Pumbaa. They aren't as bad as I remember, so I will give them that. However I can't really say I fully enjoy them either. Maybe in time and more viewings they can grow on me, but right now I just go "Ehh..."
Also. Obligatory mention of how Lion King is similar/ a supposed rip off of Kimba the White Lion. I honestly don't care. As far as I'm aware more people know of Kimba -because- of the Lion King instead of knowing about Kimba because it's any good or popular. So thus ends the obligatory mention of that.
I think the only thing that really hampers the Lion King for me, Timon and Pumbaa aside, is that the ecosystem in this film is rather odd to the point of being a bit distracting in the end. I understand that Scar and his hyenas have eaten the animals and scared off the rest of the herds. However that is not any reason to cause droughts or massive loss of vegetation. That is more of an apocalyptic/human error and not something a lion is really capable of doing. So there's that. It just makes me scratch my head a bit and wonder "Why?"
4 1/2/ 5
Little Mermaid
Released in the year I was born, Little Mermaid has been an odd film for me to really sit and review. On one hand I can praise it's strong points, while pointing out the weaker areas, while on the other hand I have a bit of nostalgia that often blinds me. More recently however, I've begun to be less blinded by nostalgia as a certain part of the film constantly hampers the film for it's enjoyability factor for me.
First, however, lets get the stronger areas out of the way. Visually this film was gorgeous for it's time, and it can still hold up really well today. The underwater scenes are really well done and painstakingly so with all of the bubbles and light reflections upon the rocks and surfaces. You can really tell they put a lot of time and effort into this and the opening is really pleasing visually to watch. The backgrounds are constantly interesting to watch, save for the odd one here and there which has a bit less to it.
As far as the songs go, the vast majority are easy to pick out and quite memorable. Part of Your World, and it's reprise are the first of many "I Want" songs where the hero or heroine sings about what they want to the audience to further their character. Under the Sea is bouncy and rather fun, though I don't seem to remember it as well as I used to. Certain parts of the song just aren't quite how I recall it, but that is probably bad memory more than anything. The real stand out song however is Poor Unfortunate Souls. This is one of the best villain songs Disney has to offer and starts out really slow, with an almost waltz like feel before it gradually becomes louder and more crazy as Ursula's evil nature is seen.
Characters. Little Mermaid, for myself, has a lot of great supporting characters. When I was younger I never really cared for King Triton, yet now I really enjoy his character and how he evolves through the film. Prince Eric is certainly a step up from the previous princes who were much less involved in their films, and even earns a pair of sidekicks in the form of his sheepdog Max, and his advisor, Grimbsy. Flounder and Sebastien make for a good pair to balance Ariel, both looking out for her best interests but in different ways. Scuttle is... a bit annoying, but he not enough to drag things to a standstill. Ursula is very much my favourite character from the entire film. From her entrance, to the finale she never ceases to entertain and frighten. When she becomes gigantic Ursula there is a large sense of power to her and only becomes more awesome, resulting in a really grisly demise.
So what about Ariel? To be honest I really don't like her. At all. If Disney did one thing right about Ariel it would be that they really captured the essence of a 16 year old girl. Oh did they succeed at that. The thing, however, is that Ariel is so selfish. She puts everyone in danger because she has a crush on Eric and refuses to listen to her father's orders. During the second half of the film, she is barely capable of doing things herself and largely requires her friends help to get her to the happy ending, which she doesn't even deserve after nearly handing over all the tridents power to Ursula. She makes so many mistakes and only gives a very brief two second apology to her father for all the trouble she caused.
Now, yes, I do understand that she's unhappy with her situation. That does not, however, give her the right to handle things the way she did. Cinderella was unhappy with her situation, but still managed to get out there and make things better without putting others at risk. I could continue the comparisons, but it's probably best that I don't. So, in having a main hero who I find very flawed, it hampers my viewing of the film and because of this I have to take a mark off, giving Little Mermaid the following score.
4/5
First, however, lets get the stronger areas out of the way. Visually this film was gorgeous for it's time, and it can still hold up really well today. The underwater scenes are really well done and painstakingly so with all of the bubbles and light reflections upon the rocks and surfaces. You can really tell they put a lot of time and effort into this and the opening is really pleasing visually to watch. The backgrounds are constantly interesting to watch, save for the odd one here and there which has a bit less to it.
As far as the songs go, the vast majority are easy to pick out and quite memorable. Part of Your World, and it's reprise are the first of many "I Want" songs where the hero or heroine sings about what they want to the audience to further their character. Under the Sea is bouncy and rather fun, though I don't seem to remember it as well as I used to. Certain parts of the song just aren't quite how I recall it, but that is probably bad memory more than anything. The real stand out song however is Poor Unfortunate Souls. This is one of the best villain songs Disney has to offer and starts out really slow, with an almost waltz like feel before it gradually becomes louder and more crazy as Ursula's evil nature is seen.
Characters. Little Mermaid, for myself, has a lot of great supporting characters. When I was younger I never really cared for King Triton, yet now I really enjoy his character and how he evolves through the film. Prince Eric is certainly a step up from the previous princes who were much less involved in their films, and even earns a pair of sidekicks in the form of his sheepdog Max, and his advisor, Grimbsy. Flounder and Sebastien make for a good pair to balance Ariel, both looking out for her best interests but in different ways. Scuttle is... a bit annoying, but he not enough to drag things to a standstill. Ursula is very much my favourite character from the entire film. From her entrance, to the finale she never ceases to entertain and frighten. When she becomes gigantic Ursula there is a large sense of power to her and only becomes more awesome, resulting in a really grisly demise.
So what about Ariel? To be honest I really don't like her. At all. If Disney did one thing right about Ariel it would be that they really captured the essence of a 16 year old girl. Oh did they succeed at that. The thing, however, is that Ariel is so selfish. She puts everyone in danger because she has a crush on Eric and refuses to listen to her father's orders. During the second half of the film, she is barely capable of doing things herself and largely requires her friends help to get her to the happy ending, which she doesn't even deserve after nearly handing over all the tridents power to Ursula. She makes so many mistakes and only gives a very brief two second apology to her father for all the trouble she caused.
Now, yes, I do understand that she's unhappy with her situation. That does not, however, give her the right to handle things the way she did. Cinderella was unhappy with her situation, but still managed to get out there and make things better without putting others at risk. I could continue the comparisons, but it's probably best that I don't. So, in having a main hero who I find very flawed, it hampers my viewing of the film and because of this I have to take a mark off, giving Little Mermaid the following score.
4/5
Friday, June 15, 2012
Mulan
Continuing Disney's trend of venturing to other countries during the 90's, Mulan takes us to China where we come across one of my favourite heroines of this era, if not out of all the canon films.
Once again our film has a really strong opening. Not only do we get a good sense of who Mulan is but we also get a great feel for her world and how it works. We learn that honour is a really important factor in their lives, which is something that will be in play for the entire film and influence people and how they act. The opening remains quite strong right up until we encounter Mushu, which is where things give a small stumble. With that said, the rest of the film still carries itself quite well and has a lot of strong points especially when we get to spend some time with our villain, Shan-Yu.
This is one of those films where we get a rather enjoyable cast of characters. We get a really strong heroine in the form of Mulan who wants to bring honour to her family and protect her father, which is also a trait evident in our main hero Shang who also wishes to bring honour to his father by being a good general. Shan-Yu is a rather surprising villain given how ruthless he is. At two points in the film we see that he's willing to go out of his way to destroy anyone, even if there's a safer path for him to take towards his ultimate goal. Our sidekick's are generally where mileage may vary. Mulan's friends in the army can be entertaining and balance each other fairly well, playing their part quite nicely, however it's Mushu where things go bad. This is a character who I simply can't stand. Unlike our heroine, he is largely motivated in getting his promotion back to being a guardian and really comes across as if he's only in it for himself instead of helping Mulan for the sake of being there for there. It also doesn't help that his voice actor, Eddie Murphy, is rather abrasive.
The songs in this film are actually quite good, quite a few of them are memorable enough to remember even after the film has ended. The one stand out song that is easily my favourite is Reflection, which really helps to show Mulan's motivation as she expresses herself and the imagery that accompanies it is really well done. The rest of the songs are quite fun, Make A Man Out of You is quite likely the other big song that really stands out from the rest and is a lot of fun to sing along to.
One final thing to note, is that the animation here is really well done and only seems to have improved since Pocahontas while still keeping a rather unique visual style just as Hercules did.
4 1/2 /5
Once again our film has a really strong opening. Not only do we get a good sense of who Mulan is but we also get a great feel for her world and how it works. We learn that honour is a really important factor in their lives, which is something that will be in play for the entire film and influence people and how they act. The opening remains quite strong right up until we encounter Mushu, which is where things give a small stumble. With that said, the rest of the film still carries itself quite well and has a lot of strong points especially when we get to spend some time with our villain, Shan-Yu.
This is one of those films where we get a rather enjoyable cast of characters. We get a really strong heroine in the form of Mulan who wants to bring honour to her family and protect her father, which is also a trait evident in our main hero Shang who also wishes to bring honour to his father by being a good general. Shan-Yu is a rather surprising villain given how ruthless he is. At two points in the film we see that he's willing to go out of his way to destroy anyone, even if there's a safer path for him to take towards his ultimate goal. Our sidekick's are generally where mileage may vary. Mulan's friends in the army can be entertaining and balance each other fairly well, playing their part quite nicely, however it's Mushu where things go bad. This is a character who I simply can't stand. Unlike our heroine, he is largely motivated in getting his promotion back to being a guardian and really comes across as if he's only in it for himself instead of helping Mulan for the sake of being there for there. It also doesn't help that his voice actor, Eddie Murphy, is rather abrasive.
The songs in this film are actually quite good, quite a few of them are memorable enough to remember even after the film has ended. The one stand out song that is easily my favourite is Reflection, which really helps to show Mulan's motivation as she expresses herself and the imagery that accompanies it is really well done. The rest of the songs are quite fun, Make A Man Out of You is quite likely the other big song that really stands out from the rest and is a lot of fun to sing along to.
One final thing to note, is that the animation here is really well done and only seems to have improved since Pocahontas while still keeping a rather unique visual style just as Hercules did.
4 1/2 /5
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Hercules
Hercules, much like Pocahontas, seems to earn a lot of negativity for being unfaithful to the original source material. The thing is, most people who aren't as inclined to read about Greecian myths are more likely to not be aware of how far the story deviates from the material. That being said, once again this is nothing new for Disney. Over the company's entire run they have always retold stories how they wanted to and often steered clear of things that would make the story unsuitable for children. The original story of Hecules' twelve tasks on it's own is full of things that wouldn't get the green light. So.... why whine about it? As a really large fan of mythology myself, I love this film. I enjoy seeing all the references to various myths in one film even if it's not super duper accurate.
With that lengthy bit out of the way, Hercules is very much the story of what it means to really be a hero. It's also, much like the majority of the 90's films, a story about finding your place while being true to who you are. The story itself is rather straightforward, Hercules is trying to prove himself so he can rejoin his family on Olympus, while Hades is attempting to take over the cosmos. In order to do this, Hades must first eliminate Hercules due to a prophecy given to him by the three Fates.
To be rather honest, I just really enjoy the film. The visual style is unique enough to stand out among the other canon films, and is always visually interesting to watch. While we do get some rather poor CGI work with the Hydra, we also get a lot of great looking characters. I have always loved how all of the gods are visually different, and it's quite fun to pause scenes where they are together in an attempt to figure out who is who.
For characters we get a really awesome villain in the form of Hades who is a fast-talking deal maker that has a busy schedule full of taking over the world to get to and is willing to do anything it takes to achieve his goals. He has two fun, and comical villains in the form of Pain and Panic, as well as a sadly underused minion in the form of Cerberus. Meg, our love interest is spunky and a lot of fun to watch instead of feeling like the cliche love interest who's only good for standing there looking pretty. Our main hero, Hercules is quite new to being a hero which doesn't make him perfect. Still being so new, he's learning the ropes on how to actually be a hero without being in it for the glory and the title. He is also supported by his trainer Phil, who is used just right, and by his horse Pegasus who makes for a funny sidekick.
All of the songs in this film are pretty memorable, perhaps save for the opening Gospel Truth. Zero to Hero is a rather catchy tune, while Won't Say (I'm In Love) is a great song as well as we see more of Meg as she opens up to admit her feelings. Go the Distance is a great starting song for Hercules as he sings about what he wants, and helps to show his motivation for seeking out training from Phil.
If this film has any flaws, it would be the almost constant barrage of modern day references that we seem to get in this film. While one or two uses of it would be ok to have, it just feels like there's too much of it. Seeing all of the modern references in an older period takes away from things a bit and feels more like product advertising. Perhaps the two references that really worked best were having Scar as a brief cameo, he really does make a handsome throw rug, and the Haunted Mansion reference during the song, Won't Say (I'm In Love).
With all of that said, Hercules manages to earn a solid 4/5
With that lengthy bit out of the way, Hercules is very much the story of what it means to really be a hero. It's also, much like the majority of the 90's films, a story about finding your place while being true to who you are. The story itself is rather straightforward, Hercules is trying to prove himself so he can rejoin his family on Olympus, while Hades is attempting to take over the cosmos. In order to do this, Hades must first eliminate Hercules due to a prophecy given to him by the three Fates.
To be rather honest, I just really enjoy the film. The visual style is unique enough to stand out among the other canon films, and is always visually interesting to watch. While we do get some rather poor CGI work with the Hydra, we also get a lot of great looking characters. I have always loved how all of the gods are visually different, and it's quite fun to pause scenes where they are together in an attempt to figure out who is who.
For characters we get a really awesome villain in the form of Hades who is a fast-talking deal maker that has a busy schedule full of taking over the world to get to and is willing to do anything it takes to achieve his goals. He has two fun, and comical villains in the form of Pain and Panic, as well as a sadly underused minion in the form of Cerberus. Meg, our love interest is spunky and a lot of fun to watch instead of feeling like the cliche love interest who's only good for standing there looking pretty. Our main hero, Hercules is quite new to being a hero which doesn't make him perfect. Still being so new, he's learning the ropes on how to actually be a hero without being in it for the glory and the title. He is also supported by his trainer Phil, who is used just right, and by his horse Pegasus who makes for a funny sidekick.
All of the songs in this film are pretty memorable, perhaps save for the opening Gospel Truth. Zero to Hero is a rather catchy tune, while Won't Say (I'm In Love) is a great song as well as we see more of Meg as she opens up to admit her feelings. Go the Distance is a great starting song for Hercules as he sings about what he wants, and helps to show his motivation for seeking out training from Phil.
If this film has any flaws, it would be the almost constant barrage of modern day references that we seem to get in this film. While one or two uses of it would be ok to have, it just feels like there's too much of it. Seeing all of the modern references in an older period takes away from things a bit and feels more like product advertising. Perhaps the two references that really worked best were having Scar as a brief cameo, he really does make a handsome throw rug, and the Haunted Mansion reference during the song, Won't Say (I'm In Love).
With all of that said, Hercules manages to earn a solid 4/5
Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of Disney's darkest ventures, surpassing even that of the Black Cauldron. Despite being well known as a kid friendly company, they took this film down a much darker route and included more adult themes. This, of course, is what makes Hunchback such a great film. It has something for all ages, just as Walt had always intended during his lifetime.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time, if any, discussing the plot since I see very little point in doing so. Instead I intend to focus more on our characters. I do however want to point out a few scenes that I really enjoyed. Once again we get a really strong opening for Hunchback, setting up the relationship between Frollo and Quasimodo, as well as establishing who they are, and what we can expect as the conflict. This film also has a lot of smaller scenes that are still a lot of fun, or that help to provide an impact and drive the story. Examples of these scenes include Frollo ordering Captain Phoebus to burn down a home with a family trapped inside, Captain Phoebus and Esmeralda's interactions both early in the film and later on when they've grown closer together.
Since we are on the note of characters, this film has a great group of four main characters. We get a really strong, yet twisted, relationship between Frollo and Quasimodo, and a rather sweet, yet sad, relationship between Quasimodo and Esmeralda, while Captain Phoebus and Frollo have the relationship of loyal soldier to a cruel superior. All four of our characters play off of each other really well in all of the scenes where they are interacting with each other. Even on their own, we still get some really fun, twisted or sad scenes from them as we watch their character arcs develop and grow from start to finish. While the main four are really strong, we also get some supporting characters who all fill their roles to a fairly satisfactory degree. While two of the gargoyles can be rather fun, the third one played by Jason Alexander feels more like an annoyance in the way he acts and seems to provide the kid related jokes.
The majority of the songs in this film are really well done and all of them, save for one, are fully enjoyable to watch. Out There is a great song from Quasimodo that really helps us learn about how he sees himself in the scheme of things, and what he really wants. God Help the Outcasts is really pretty visually for the most part, and also helps show Esmeralda's character as wanting to find acceptance for her and her people. Possibly the strongest of the songs, Hellfire is a really great villain song as we see how twisted Frollo is and how he's slowly going mad from his lust to the point that he's willing to do anything it takes. The only other song I really want to note is the song A Guy Like You which is SO out of place that it can be slightly jarring. Paris is burning and many innocent people are being arrested, if not worse, and we get a song to help cheer up Quasimodo who is having relationship woes. It's.... just so odd. It would have worked better if we had it earlier in the film not long after Quasimodo and met Esmeralda and was still doubting things.
The animation here is really great, it may not be quite as top notch as the Lion King, yet it's still really well done. The cathedral of Notre Dame looks amazing, and a lot of scenes are visually pleasing to watch. Some of the best looking scenes are the opening sequence when we first meet Frollo, the Hellfire scene, and the scene of the family's home being burnt down.
So. The question becomes are the two flaws big enough to keep this from being a full 5 star rating? As much as I want to give this a full 5, I am also unable to really give it a 4 either. To give it a 4 would be too much of a step down I feel, so instead I will happily give Hunchback the following rating.
4 1/2 /5
I'm not going to spend a lot of time, if any, discussing the plot since I see very little point in doing so. Instead I intend to focus more on our characters. I do however want to point out a few scenes that I really enjoyed. Once again we get a really strong opening for Hunchback, setting up the relationship between Frollo and Quasimodo, as well as establishing who they are, and what we can expect as the conflict. This film also has a lot of smaller scenes that are still a lot of fun, or that help to provide an impact and drive the story. Examples of these scenes include Frollo ordering Captain Phoebus to burn down a home with a family trapped inside, Captain Phoebus and Esmeralda's interactions both early in the film and later on when they've grown closer together.
Since we are on the note of characters, this film has a great group of four main characters. We get a really strong, yet twisted, relationship between Frollo and Quasimodo, and a rather sweet, yet sad, relationship between Quasimodo and Esmeralda, while Captain Phoebus and Frollo have the relationship of loyal soldier to a cruel superior. All four of our characters play off of each other really well in all of the scenes where they are interacting with each other. Even on their own, we still get some really fun, twisted or sad scenes from them as we watch their character arcs develop and grow from start to finish. While the main four are really strong, we also get some supporting characters who all fill their roles to a fairly satisfactory degree. While two of the gargoyles can be rather fun, the third one played by Jason Alexander feels more like an annoyance in the way he acts and seems to provide the kid related jokes.
The majority of the songs in this film are really well done and all of them, save for one, are fully enjoyable to watch. Out There is a great song from Quasimodo that really helps us learn about how he sees himself in the scheme of things, and what he really wants. God Help the Outcasts is really pretty visually for the most part, and also helps show Esmeralda's character as wanting to find acceptance for her and her people. Possibly the strongest of the songs, Hellfire is a really great villain song as we see how twisted Frollo is and how he's slowly going mad from his lust to the point that he's willing to do anything it takes. The only other song I really want to note is the song A Guy Like You which is SO out of place that it can be slightly jarring. Paris is burning and many innocent people are being arrested, if not worse, and we get a song to help cheer up Quasimodo who is having relationship woes. It's.... just so odd. It would have worked better if we had it earlier in the film not long after Quasimodo and met Esmeralda and was still doubting things.
The animation here is really great, it may not be quite as top notch as the Lion King, yet it's still really well done. The cathedral of Notre Dame looks amazing, and a lot of scenes are visually pleasing to watch. Some of the best looking scenes are the opening sequence when we first meet Frollo, the Hellfire scene, and the scene of the family's home being burnt down.
So. The question becomes are the two flaws big enough to keep this from being a full 5 star rating? As much as I want to give this a full 5, I am also unable to really give it a 4 either. To give it a 4 would be too much of a step down I feel, so instead I will happily give Hunchback the following rating.
4 1/2 /5
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